An electrical explosion has injured one man while he was performing his professional duties as a fiber optic technician. According to California police, they received a call at approximately 4 p.m. reporting that a man had been injured and that a truck had caught fire. Police responded to the report of the work injury and made contact with the man.
Reports issued thus far state that the man was working on the truck’s lift when an electrical component caught fire. This fire spread to the bucket of the lift that the man was in. As a result, the man suffered an undisclosed number of injuries. Police have not identified the man, though they have stated that the man works for a large cable company.
Police called in a helicopter to airlift the man to a local hospital. No information has been released as to the severity of the man’s injuries. Police have stated that they will be conducting an investigation of the accident.
California workers who are performing duties around power lines are at significant risk of suffering a work injury. When an electrical injury is sustained, it can take a substantial amount of time for a worker to receive the treatment they need in order to recover from the unfortunate accident. In such cases, workers’ compensation benefits are normally applicable to ensure that the worker’s bills are satisfied until they are released from the hospital and cleared to resume their professional duties. This compensation can make all the difference for the worker and can protect them from any undue hardship that has arisen as a result of their injury.
Source: San Jose Mercury News, “CableCom worker burned in electrical blast north of Santa Cruz: Highway 1 briefly closed during rescue,” Stephen Baxter, Santa Cruz Sentinel, Aug. 13, 2012