Mike Holt Enterprises Electrical News Source

Town Street Bridge Electrocution

Electrical safety is our key concern and I'm always looking out for information that will help keep the industry safe. I wanted to pass along this information about an electrocution in Columbus Ohio in 2003. I hope you find it has value.

On May 22, 2003, Willie Wagner, a nine-year-old boy, was electrocuted in the vicinity of the northwest light post and adjacent chain-link fence on the Town Street Bridge in Columbus Ohio. Its stone railing was deteriorating, so a chain-link fence was put up at the edge of the pedestrian sidewalks on both sides of the bridge. The streetlights were between the fence and the stone railing at the edge of the bridge. Willie was in the company of another boy and that boy's father at the time of the incident. The two boys had left the sidewalk and had crawled underneath the fence to gain access to the space between the chain-link fence and the bridge railing. Though no one witnessed the accident, the position of Willie's body indicates that he was electrocuted as he moved through the small gap between the fence and the northwest light post.

After the electrocution, the City of Columbus Department of Public Utilities, inspected every circuit in in the city, some of which were found to require routine maintenance and repairs. 1

1 Teter, Seth (June 23, 2003) Uninsulated Wire Caused Boy’s Death, retrieved February 25, 2020 from The Lantern: www.thelantern.com/2003/06/uninsulated-wire-caused-boys-death/.

This is a very detailed report on this incident into the cause.

This report was submitted by Tom Baker, Code Forum Moderator.

Click here or on the image to read and download the paper. Please feel free to post your comments.


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