# Is this really true or is it B.S.?



## clearance (Dec 8, 2006)

http://www.isa-arbor.com/archives/isa/treeclimbers/1998/0291.html Someone has to know, urban myth or true?


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## Ekka (Dec 9, 2006)

Imagine being the poor bugger who had to climb the tree and smack his head off with a pole pruner!

I think they would have had the fire dept there plus a bucket truck.

But I do remember seeing a video where a chopper was circling an electrocution shooting video and there was a smouldering body I think on the ground ... could've been the same case???

Just today I had a look at a job where there was the 11KV lines up top, not far below the 240V/415V and the tree was well and truly through them both. Told them to call the energy company and get me to bid on what's left.

Power, as Clearance would know, is deadly. 

Good to see you reading ISA material Clearance.


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## stihlatit (Dec 9, 2006)

clearance said:


> http://www.isa-arbor.com/archives/isa/treeclimbers/1998/0291.html Someone has to know, urban myth or true?



Sheesh lets hope its BS Clearance....the guy reporting it sounds like GI Joe officer Friday of Dragnet reporting a crime scene trying to apply shock mode to the kids I guess.


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## doggonetrees (Dec 9, 2006)

While working ROW clearence, we were tasked to go ahead of the line crews to open up line for upgrade for a 3 phase, 14400. At lunch one day, there were some kids across the highway playing in their yard. There was this elm tree growing all up through a 3 phase Miss Power line. The father to these kids had built a tree house in the tree, and as the tree got older, the limbs were all around the phases. When the wind would blow, he said he could hear a crackling sound. We showed him some items we kept on the truck(protective gloves, wood) that we got from our safety guys that we used to show reasoning for not having trees so close to the lines. These were items that had been allowed to come in contact with electricity, for training aids. This guy allowed us to cut the tree- even though it was not on our ROW. The MPL representative came and gave us atta boys for taking care of a potential deadly situation.


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## TackleTree (Dec 9, 2006)

Seems to me that people really do lack common sense! It sucks that they or someone else has to pay for it with there lives!


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## spacemule (Dec 11, 2006)

That's a bs story if I've ever heard one. Knocking the guys head off with a pruner? Come on!


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## fpyontek (Dec 11, 2006)

clearance said:


> http://www.isa-arbor.com/archives/isa/treeclimbers/1998/0291.html Someone has to know, urban myth or true?



Maybe the skeptics should ask him for themselves. He is giving a lecture on Arborist Safety at 3:30 PM on January 23, 2007, at the Southern Illinois Grounds Maintenance School and Trade Show. The author of the article (Re: Re: Re: Re: How Safe is Climbing?) is Mike Dirksen, City Arborist, Springfield Ill..


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## Sprig (Dec 11, 2006)

spacemule said:


> That's a bs story if I've ever heard one. Knocking the guys head off with a pruner? Come on!


Horrific. Space, it may be a little theatrical in wording but considering the forum it was on I have little doubt about the authenticity of the story. Iow, why would someone make up something like that, post their name, be involved in a climbing forum, just to troll bs stories, makes no sense ta me. I suppose they could have left it up there for all to see for a few hours while they figured out a 'nice' way to deal with it, I'd've opted for just about any quick way to get the poor guys head down myself.  Anyhow I was curious and spent a few hours the other day trying to find out more but after and hour of decapitaion stories (none the right one) I'd had enough. Nothing around sayin it wasn't true either. I suppose he could have left out the gorier details too but he was telling it 1st person. As above person said, you could always contact him and ask, its not like he's hiding.
My 0.02$ fer da evening.

Edit> I wrote Mr. Dirksen a letter this evening asking if he would be so kind as to verify the story, if and/or when he replies I'll post it in this thread unless he does so himself.


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## musch (Dec 11, 2006)

TOTAL BS

The electrcity was so powerful it blew out his legs, but the head just sat up there like a pumpkin on a fence? SURE. :notrolls2:


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## Sprig (Dec 11, 2006)

*Not BS.  Real, sad, and gross.*

I recieved a very kind reply to my inquery about the validity of this story and respectfully declined an honest offer to speak with others involved, some on the scene are still shaken by it years later and who can blame them. The accident happened in Springfield Ill. in 1989 (?) and made the papers (sans the gorier details), anyone with morbid facinations can go hunt the archives for themselves or the coroner's reports, it won't be me.
Musch, you may want to google 'Industrial electrocutions' if you find losing body parts to high voltage is bs., and fwi a detached part can sit melted on a wire like a pumpkin on a fence if it is not touching anything else, why do you think birds can sit on wires? It is not because they wear insulated boots.

I'm outta here, bye.

Edit> I notice booshcat has found an article cited in next post.


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## Booshcat (Dec 11, 2006)

*Here is the brief description from the archives of the Sprinfield Paper*

It'll cost you $2.95 to see the whole thing....
At least the incident is real...details?? not sure



The State Journal-Register Archives 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Article 1 of 2, Article ID: 0000218105 

Published on September 5, 1992, State Journal-Register, The (Springfield, IL) 
WORKER ELECTROCUTED WHILE TRIMMING TREE 

A man who was doing tree-trimming work was electrocuted Friday about 10:16 a.m. when he apparently leaned into a live power line. James Griffin, 31, of the 200 block of South David St., was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, said Sangamon County Coroner Norman Richter. Griffin, a co-owner of Premier Tree Service, 2121 E. Jackson St., was topping a tree to be removed in the the 2100 block of Cardinal Drive, Richter said, when he apparently leaned back on his safety belt and 

By 

Your search terms appear times in this article. 

Complete Article, 152 words ( )


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## clearance (Dec 11, 2006)

Sprig/Booshcat- Of course I thought it was total b.s., I work around power, know exactly what it can do to someone and laughed (I was going to say laughed my head off) much in the same way cops laugh and joke about homicide victims, to keep a dark subject light so it doesn't get to you. Now your dogged investigation has revealed that perhaps this is true......thanks, I guess.


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## M.D. Vaden (Dec 11, 2006)

I've seen a smoldering birch tree leader that leaned over on a wire. It burned through and fell.

So part of it is believable.

With all the other description, it seems like the climbers innards could have boiled like stew.

Has any science guys ever done temperature readings on electrocuted bodies to see how much heat might generate within?


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## daveyclimber (Dec 11, 2006)

Electricity will do all sorts of gruesome and morbid things to any type of animated or inanimate objects which conduct electricity, from squirrels to vultures to trees and dirt, nearly everything is affected by electricity. I worked the powerline clearance bit for nearly a decade before starting out on my own. I can count on both hands how many times I have been bit or tickled or just plain got my **** knocked in the dirt by direct and indirect contacts. I've seen trees that should have been clearanced years ago never need trimmed again due to the fires that were created by contacts. Dirt gets turned to glass by nearly any transmission line that comes into contact. I had a cousin that worked for the power company for decades and he was killed by an accident where he came into contact with 60kv, he died but not before an agonizing death. He was given an autopsy and he was literally cooked well done, calves blew out, back broken, heart exploded ect.ect. It amazes me how many ignorant trimmers are out there working around the power in carefree bliss. I would recomend that anyone who works around power really ought to consult with your local power provider and discuss with them about powerline safety, listen to the linemens and trouble shooters gruesome stories and educate yourself about the industry and different transmission and distribution equipment so you know how to plan your jobs for safety when needed


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## musch (Dec 12, 2006)

NO NO NO.
You didn't read what I wrote.
I said the power blew out his legs - Which IS possible.
And his head sat on the wire, like a pumpkin on a fence, which is NOT possible, unless it got stuck in or on it somehow, which I can't figure. Try to balance a 20 pound bowling ball on a metal wire.

I am sure the incident could have occured, but I disbelieve the reported story, sounds like hype to me. 

Not to make light of a horrible incident, but the tagline WAS BS or not.

:sword:


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## doggonetrees (Dec 13, 2006)

DaveyClimber is right- potential for agonizing death is there. Perhaps the doubters should contact their electric providers in their area and try to find out when their next safety meeting is to coordinate a briefing to ALL that could be working around power. Construction workers, loggers, tree companies for sure. Southern Pine Electric Power Association in Miss. encourages public participation so the word can get out to ALL that could be affected by close proximity work around power lines. That is one of the reasons they keep small ROW crews- to take care of trees that are dangerous.


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## Canyon Angler (Dec 13, 2006)

I saw where a fairly high-voltage line came down on the concrete apron at a gas station where I once worked. It came down on the shift before mine and the guy who was there at the time told me the wire just lay there looking like an arc welder and making this real loud 60Hz buzzing sound. The elec company eventually came and shut off the power and the fire company came and hosed down the concrete to cool it off and it supposedly made the water BOIL, the concrete was so hot. By the time I arrived at the gas station to start my shift, everything was gone except a hole in the concrete where it was melted clear through. You could stick your finger into the hole and it was still hot as he||. I don't know how deep that hole went but it was deeper than my finger was long!


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## UrbanLogger (Dec 13, 2006)

I just talked to a lineman freind of mine, he believes that this story could be possible, but the powerlines would've had to have been a substation feed/supply line, it would have to be some pretty high voltage lines to decapitate someone like the story says. He also told me a story that he had to help rapair (near us - Milawukee, WI). 

2 guys were playing frisbee near a power sub-station when the frisbee flew over the fences surrounding the sub-station. One of the guys thought he'd just climb both fences (one of which had barbed wire atop it) and retreive their frisbee. Something happened and he fell into a transformer, of some sort of lines and literally cooked himself from the inside out. Whitnesses and power company employees said that the victim looked like an over cooked hotdog (cooked on a grill) his skin was chared and split open. Most of his clothing was split open at the seems and/or burned.


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## minny (Dec 20, 2006)

*line-clearance is the most dangerous form of tree-trimmming*

I've been "bitten" and "tickled" maybe even "zapped". 
Don't let your employer put you in those situations. Don't be a hero.
We (the crew) went into a backyard to find a (tree-related) outage.
The XCEL lineman told us the fuse was dropped. 
The lines were buried in saplings and vines up to the tub. We tore off some vines and started in on the saplings, using our hands because the fuse was out.
The foreman on our crew went to the truck and told me to remove some more saplings. 
I noticed a neutral wire hanging down to the ground. I'll never know why, but, something told me to grab it with a pruner instead of my hand.
I moved it 6 inches and POW, POW, BOOM. The tub exploded in a ball of fire and oil. 
If you do line-clearance: don't trust anyone. Please.


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## daveyclimber (Dec 20, 2006)

minny said:


> I've been "bitten" and "tickled" maybe even "zapped".
> Don't let your employer put you in those situations. Don't be a hero.
> We (the crew) went into a backyard to find a (tree-related) outage.
> The XCEL lineman told us the fuse was dropped.
> ...




Very true, I have heard these types of stories many times. I would always request lockout tagout, grounding and radio communication with the guys in the control room. You can't be too safe around electricity it truly is an unseen hazard


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## Soul Assassin (Dec 21, 2006)

I've seen things first hand just as greusome.
I saw a guy 120 foot up cut a massive limb he was tied into, it ripped the saddle of his body, he survived, but was black and blue his whole torso.
Another man had his leg whacked off by a car when it hit him and the feed table of a chipper.

Another man had a massive tree limb fall on top of him.

A guy here in Colorado was sucked through a chipper whole. (wasn't part of that one)

Another man was electrocuted doing line clearence, they had to remove his smoldering body from the tree. After they cut off power.

Five firefighters died in a wreck on I-70 while headed to the Hayman Blaze area.


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## beowulf343 (Dec 21, 2006)

You've seen all (most) of this first hand??? Remind me to never hang out with you-you must be bad luck!


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