# electroucted



## kowens (Aug 31, 2004)

Man Electrocuted While Trimming Tree

Published: Aug 31, 2004




ST. PETERSBURG - A man trimming a tree Monday at 5908 27th Ave. N. was electrocuted when a cut branch hit a power line. 
The accident happened shortly after 6 p.m. Maurice Carrington, whose address and age were unknown, was pronounced dead at the scene. 




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## NeTree (Aug 31, 2004)

Was this a homeowner or a "pro"?

I was thinking homeowner, but then with all the cleanup going on, 6pm isn't that late, either.

Keep us posted, eh?


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## kowens (Sep 1, 2004)

ST. PETERSBURG - A 21-year-old man was electrocuted while trimming trees Monday evening, police said. 

Maurice S. Carrington was working in a bucket truck about 6 p.m. when he cut a branch at 5900 27th Ave. N, said Lt. Nathaly Patterson of the St. Petersburg Police Department. The branch fell on a 7,200 volt Progress Energy power line.

When he touched the branch, electricity ran through the branch and into him, police said.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

[Last modified August 31, 2004,


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## monkeypuzzle (Sep 2, 2004)

We should all be making more money for the services we provide.


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## NeTree (Sep 2, 2004)

It'd be interesting to know more specifics on the truck itself, doncha think?


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## OutOnaLimb (Sep 2, 2004)

Was the truck insulated, did he reach out and pull the hanger he dropped?

Kenn


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## glens (Sep 3, 2004)

It's a shame it happened, but it wasn't electrocution unless he was a capital criminal put to death via fatal electric shock (electricity + execution = electrocution)


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## ptar (Sep 3, 2004)

Glen,

Webster online does not agree with you.


Main Entry: elec·tro·cute
Pronunciation: i-'lek-tr&-"kyüt
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form(s): -cut·ed; -cut·ing
Etymology: electr- + -cute (as in execute)
1 : to execute (a criminal) by electricity
2 : to kill by electric shock
- elec·tro·cu·tion /-"lek-tr&-'kyü-sh&n/ noun


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## wct4life (Sep 3, 2004)

*I got to ask, 'cause I don't know..*

If your in an insulated bucket and it touches the lines your'e ok.

If your in the bucket using a fiberglass pole saw and it touches the lines your'e ok.

Those two statements are correct, right?

How can you get shocked from touching a branch that's on a line if the branch is not touching the ground? Oil/dirty boom? Poor maintence?

Personally, electric lines scare the piss outta me. I work around them cause I have to, but don't like it. Any time I'm close to them I always use my pole saw. I have had times though, when I 
have to cut branches that are already touching powerlines.

Why don't you get shocked? The tree is grounded, of course. Seems to me that the entire tree would be energized. But if that were the case, lotsa people would would be electracuted.

Can someone explain this?


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## MasterBlaster (Sep 3, 2004)

The branch touching the line _has_ to be grounded to get shocked. Perhaps he was working lower voltage, and the limb was grounding itself to the ground wire. At low voltage, sometimes you can't even tell the limb is burning.

The guy shoulda used hot gloves if he was removing a limb off the wires.


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## glens (Sep 3, 2004)

*Re: I got to ask, 'cause I don't know..*



> _Originally posted by wct4life _
> *How can you get shocked from touching a branch that's on a line if the branch is not touching the ground?&nbsp; ...
> 
> Can someone explain this? *


You will never get shocked unless you're acting as a conductor.&nbsp; You will not become a conductor unless you somehow provide a way for electrical potential to equalize through all or part of you.&nbsp; If the limb fell on a hot lead (electric potential exists to ground, or to another "hot" lead of differing potential), it would be necessary for you to be the best path for the current if you want to get shocked; or you must be able to carry any excess current that an alternate pathway cannot accommodate.&nbsp; In this case, the poor fellow was part of a circuit somehow, fatally.&nbsp; Either his bucket/controller was somehow conductive to ground (and he to the bucket/controller), or he touched both the limb on the wire and a part of the tree simultaneously.

Interestingly, water itself (as in pure H2O) does not conduct electricity.&nbsp; It's the impurities in the water that do it!

Also, our household and industrial electrical current is delivered using the earth as a conductor, and it's such current which endangers you to become a quick path to ground.&nbsp; If you're running a generator to power the stereo/lights at an outdoor party, and touch the "hot" lead while standing barefoot on wet grass, you should not get shocked unless you've somehow provided continuity (a circuit) from the generator "ground" leg to the earth.&nbsp; If that didn't make any sense, ask again tomorrow when maybe I'll have not yet started hitting the suds...

Hey Butch, ever hear of a guitar player getting shocked because of mis-wiring when he touch the mike?

Glen


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## ORclimber (Sep 4, 2004)

Lots of ways to become part of the path to ground. Electricity is funny stuff, doesn't help that you can't see it. Lots of times I brushed the primaries with a branch and wondered why I didn't get zapped.

On some cuts we'd purposely rip limbs over instead of making a face cut. The hope was that if the limb made contact with the primary the path down the connected branch would offer less resistance than body. 

I wonder how much crap would have to build up in the bottom of a bucket before it could act as a ground. Been tingled working out of a bucket. Didn't recognize it for what it was until getting tingled in a tree.


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## sedanman (Sep 4, 2004)

Also keep in mind that things we think of as "insulators" are in fact only resistors at higher voltages. A wooden broom handle or pole saw may not conduct household current but it would be deadly to touch a high voltage line with one.


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## MasterBlaster (Sep 4, 2004)

*Re: Re: I got to ask, 'cause I don't know..*



> _Originally posted by glens _
> *Hey Butch, ever hear of a guitar player getting shocked because of mis-wiring when he touch the mike? *



Yup, I've been zapped a few time back in my garage-playing days. I remember there was a polarity switch on the amp you changed when that happened. I just looked at my amp and it doesn't have one. I guess things have changed? I'm gonna axe em at my musicians forum.


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## ORclimber (Sep 4, 2004)

> _Originally posted by TreeCo _
> *Buckets are supposed to have insulated liners so junk in the bottom shouldn't be a problem, but dirty liners would conduct. The liner is that heavy plastic thingy inside the bucket that holds water. Don't ever drill drain holes in it.
> 
> Dan *



Ya Dan. I've worked with some guys that actually prefer chips or some form of padding in the bucket "liner" so their feet don't get sore. Anyway it doesn't take long for debris to accumulate, especially when focus is on production. And here in the PNW it's usually debris soup.

Why does the "ground" have to be the earth?


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## ORclimber (Sep 4, 2004)

This may or may not be off topic, but guess what I'm asking is...could a dirty bucket liner act as a temporary half azzed ground. I understand that electricity takes the path of least resistance to ground, which is normally the earth. But, how does the electricity find that path of least resistance. I am assuming that the voltage pushes it out in all directions and could push it through a human to a dirty bucket liner if the bucket liner acted as a sink. Even if only a fraction of the 7.2kv is passing through the human to an less than ideal sink. Maybe I don't understand how it really works. 

Do know that 7.2kv won't push through a wooden pruner/pole saw pole. Pulled lots of hangers off the 7.2kv lines with those. Watch out for the wet pull cords though.


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## NeTree (Sep 4, 2004)

Not at line frequency.
However, at radio frequencies it may be possible. FYI, if you think 60Hz electrical burns are bad, RF is even worse.


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## Shade (Sep 13, 2004)

*Re: Re: Re: I got to ask, 'cause I don't know..*



> _Originally posted by MasterBlaster _
> *Yup, I've been zapped a few time back in my garage-playing days. I remember there was a polarity switch on the amp you changed when that happened. I just looked at my amp and it doesn't have one. I guess things have changed? I'm gonna axe em at my musicians forum. *



this mostly happened before the days of polarized plugs (the one prong wider than the other). These days, all 3 prong plugs will only go one way, as will the two prong ones, with all appliances, the nuetral line is attached to the chassis, in the old days, the chassis could be the hot line which is why you could get shocked when touching a water spigot and the blender at the same time.

electricity is "mostly" predictable, but still worthy of utmost respect.


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## MasterBlaster (Sep 13, 2004)

*Yup!*

Those were the old days!!!


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