Abstract: An independent contractor working for a developer entered a secured vacant lot with his wife to paint over graffiti. The employee went to an electrical box to remove some copper conductors. The conductors were energized, and the employee received an electric shock and caused an electrical fault. The ensuing electric arc burned the employee and started a fire. His wife tried to pull the employee away and sustained serious burn injuries in her unsuccessful rescue attempt. The employee, who had been providing maintenance services for the company since August 2007, died at the scene. (The police determined that the employee was stealing the copper conductors, though the employee's family, pointing to his maintaining the area for several years, disputed the finding.)