THUNDER BAY – A Thunder Bay man was shocked while apparently trimming tree branches at his property in Northwood this morning. The man has been taken to Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre with undetermined injuries.
Power in Northwood was off for several hours following the incident.
Synergy North restored power following the incident which knocked out electricity for a couple of hours.
Update
Thunder Bay Fire & Rescue reports, “At approximately 11:30 am this morning, Thunder Bay Fire Rescue was called to a treetop rescue, electrocution.
“On arrival Thunder Bay Fire Rescue crews found a male unconscious in a tree, dangling from his harness. The male was trimming branches when the branch came into contact with high tension wires, electrocuting him. Power to the area had to be shut off before Fire crews could make a successful rescue of the individual, who was brought down from the tree to a waiting ambulance on scene. The male was transported to Thunder Regional Hospital, the extent of injuries are unknown at this time.
As spring arrives, trimming trees around your property requires real care.
Hydro One offers these safety tips:
Staying safe
For power lines for which you are responsible, be sure to use the help of qualified arborists only and keep in mind these potentially fatal mistakes:
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Cutting a branch near a power line. This may bring it too close to the line as it falls and may cause an arc flash that could cause serious injury or death.
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Cutting down a tree that could fall in the proximity (less than 10 meters) of a power line. Only professional arborists can expertly control which way a tree will fall when cut. Without proper planning and execution, this may cause the tree to fall onto or too close to the line, causing major damage to our equipment and can cause serious injury or death.
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Electricity always wants to return to ground and it does not care how it gets there – it takes the path of least resistance. Using tools such as ladders or long-handled pruning shears too close to a power line could cause the current to run through the tool and potentially cause serious injury or death.
