Abstract: A power line crew for an electric utility was replacing a utility pole that had been damaged by woodpeckers 18 inches from the top of the pole, at a height of about 15 feet above the ground. A power line worker on the crew was working from an aerial lift bucket, using a live-line tool to deenergize a transformer. (He was also wearing gloves at the time.) As he was doing this, the pole snapped at the 15-foot level. The three phase conductors on the overhead line supported by the pole twisted and touched each other, causing an electrical fault. The power line worker, who was 12 feet away, was burned by the ensuing electric arc. He sustained flash burns and first-degree burns on his chest, back, and arm. He was treated for his injuries at a hospital and released.