Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1666847.015 - Hico Service Center

Inspection Information - Office: Charleston Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 9:00 p.m. on April 28, 2023, Employee #1, who worked as a lineman for an electrical power company was standing on a jobsite assessing the work area. Employee #1 was determining the next steps the crew would need to take once a fallen tree was cleared from the power lines. A 32-inch diameter red oak had uprooted and fell on a 15-foot wide roadway. The tree fell onto the power lines and a residence disabling the power in the area. The crew was called to the site to remove the fallen tree from the power lines, replace 3 broken power poles, and restore the power to the homes and church. While the crew was onsite, an adjacent 42-inch diameter red oak tree also uprooted and fell onto the church located across the roadway. Employee #2, who was standing approximately 30 to 35 feet from the trunk of the tree, was struck by an approximately 12-inch diameter by 18-foot long branch. The branch knocked Employee #2 to the ground and trapped him until coworkers on the site could cut the branch and free him. Coworkers performed first aid and CPR until emergency services arrived onsite. Employee #1 also sustained minor injuries and a coworker, an employee of a locating services company, was also injured and was hospitalized. The coworker was released on the evening of April 29, 2023. Employee #2 sustained crushing injuries and thoracic trauma including chest abrasions, bilateral rib fractures, and a thoracic fracture of the T5, soft tissue hemorrhages and lung lacerations. Employee #2 was pronounced dead at 5:21 p.m. the same afternoon.

Keywords: Abrasion, Back, CPR, Chest, Clearance, Contusion, Crushed, Crushing, Electrical Work, Falling Object, Fracture, Hemorrhage, Laceration, Lung, Misjudgment, Misjudgment of Hazardous Situation, Multi-employer Worksite, Multiemployer, Overhead Power Line, Pinned, Power Line Worker, Power Lines, Repair, Rib, Struck By, Tree, Tree Failure, Tree Section