The man was using a telescoping pole to wash a window when the pole came in contact with a power line above him carrying 115,000 volts, according San Bernardino City Fire’s preliminary investigation. Other window washers before have been electrocuted when using waterfed poles (wfp).
Firefighters responding to a report of a man on fire about 11:40 a.m. at 1365 S. Waterman Ave. found the victim suffering from serious burns, Cooke said. His telescoping pole had touched a line charged with 115,000 volts, Cooke said. The middle-aged man was working with a partner, who was not injured, Cooke said.
The incident happened at the Inland Regional Center, which serves people with developmental disabilities. The victim was believed to work for an independent contractor, Cooke said. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration and arson investigators were looking into the accident. Edison responded to cut off the electricity.
Cooke reminded anyone who sees a downed power line never to touch the line and to stay back and call 911. Electricity can jump 3 feet, Cooke said. Also, a person who touches another who has been shocked could also be injured, Cooke said.
Window Washer Critically Injured When Shocked on Job - Victim suffered serious burns to his hands and arms after he touched an electrical wire with cleaning equipment. A window washer was alert but severely injured with burns to his hands and arms after he touched an electrical wire with equipment in San Bernardino Friday and was transported to a local hospital in critical condition.
"Yeah it was scary," said witness Jose Cabrales. Cabrales works with the victim for Mr.Window window washing service. He said he was using a 30-foot pole to wash the windows on the third floor of an office building, when he heard an explosion. His co-worker was using a similar washing pole, and accidentally touched the high voltage lines that stretch across the business park.
He said the victim was frozen by electricity and couldn't let go of the fiberglass pole, until it disintegrated in his hands. The victim’s clothing also caught on fire as Cabrales ran to get help.
"When we arrived on scene, we saw numerous bystanders that were rendering aide and trying to keep the individual calm and keep him conscious throughout the ordeal," said Battalion Chief Nathan Cooke of the San Bernardino City Fire Department. Firefighters say its a miracle the victim didn’t die instantly because of the amount of electricity that ran though his body. "An electrical outlet is a 110, and this was 115,000 volts, so put into perspective," Cooke said. "That's a lot of power and electricity he contacted today."
Investigators, including Cal/OSHA, are now looking into the incident to see if any safety regulations were violated. The victim, who has not been identified, was hospitalized in critical condition. Witnesses said they hope the victim makes a full recovery. "My prayers are out to them out to his family and him," said San Bernardino resident Leticia Romero.
"That is what goes on this time of year. When most of the snow birds are gone is when we do all the outside painting, window washing, cleaning, things like that," said Beutler. The Sheriff's Office says OSHA will investigate. Back in April, another man died after being electrocuted while trimming trees on Fort Myers Beach.
Two men were electrocuted and killed Friday while performing maintenance on a Fort Myers Beach building. Juan Bocanegra, 37, of Fort Myers, and Dustin Manning, 30, of Bradenton were in a cherry-picker performing maintenance on a building in the 7400 block of Bella Lago Drive around 1:30 p.m., according to the Lee County Sheriff's Office. The two men were electrocuted and killed when the cherry picker lifted into the power lines, according to an initial investigation. "Dustin was a wonderful husband, a wonderful father and they were expecting their second child," his friend Sharon Reinhart told NBC-2. "I just want his family to know that he was very liked by so many people." The deaths appear to be accidental, the Sheriff's Office reported. The Medical Examiner's Office will conduct autopsies to make an official determination.
A man washing windows at a three-story medical building was killed Tuesday morning when an extension rod he was using came in contact with a 12,000-volt power line, authorities said. The incident was reported about 6:30 a.m. at Beach Boulevard and Newman Street, said Jeff Lopez, deputy fire marshal with the Huntington Beach Fire Department. The body was lying on the sidewalk on Newman Street, adjacent to the Beach Medical building in the 17700 block of Beach Boulevard about four hours after the accident. The Orange County Coroner's Office removed the body about 10:30 a.m.
Jeff Lopez, deputy fire marshal with the Huntington Beach Fire Department, said the man was using an aluminum extension rod to reach the third story with his brush. "It came into contact with the power line, which shorted to the ground and electrocuted him immediately," Lopez said. It appears the man was walking around a tree when his equipment touched the power line, Lopez added. Coroner's Office officials identified the man as Gandy Ochoa, 27, a Pomona resident. Power was out while authorities removed the worker's brush, which hung from the power line above the sidewalk on Newman Avenue. The office building was briefly evacuated, Lopez said.
An Southern California Edison lineman gets ready to disconnect the power after a window washer was electrocuted when his washing equipment touched a power line running along Newman Avenue behind Huntington Beach Hospital this morning about 6:30 a.m.
A Southern California Edison lineman disconnects the power to a line running along the North side of Huntington Beach Hospital on Tuesday morning. A window washer was electrocuted when his washing equipment touched the power line running along Newman Avenue behind the hospital.
A window washer's brush hangs from the power line above the sidewalk on Newman Avenue in Huntington Beach this morning after the washer was electrocuted near Huntington Beach Hospital about 6:30 a.m.
A Huntington Beach police officer places a barrier to block the view of the body of a window washer who was electrocuted while washing the windows of a medical building next to Huntington Beach Hopsital this morning. The window washer was electrocuted when his washing equipment touched a power line running along Newman Avenue.
Initially people thought that the fire by the roadside was a downed cable, but it turned out to be the perished victims body alight.
Worker Electrocuted to Death in Huntington Beach: Huntington Beach - A man washing windows at a medical office building in Huntington Beach was killed today when the equipment he was using came into contact with a 12,000-volt electrical line, authorities said. The accident happened at about 6:30 a.m. at Beach Boulevard and Newman Avenue, according to the Huntington Beach Police Department. The worker, whose age and name were not immediately released, was standing on the ground and washing windows of the three-story building when the accident occurred, Huntington Beach fire Capt. Jeff Lopez said. "He was using a long extension rod with a brush at the end of it ... and he had to step around a tree, it appears -- And as he did so, he brought the brush and the extension rod away from the building, and he came in contact with the power lines above him -- 12,000-volt power lines -- and tragically, it killed him." The building was partially evacuated briefly as a precaution while firefighters determined that the power line was secure and not posing a hazard, Lopez said.
A man washing windows at a three-story medical building was killed Tuesday morning when an extension rod he was using came in cotact with a 12,000-volt power line, authorities said. The incident was reported at about 6:34 a.m. at Beach Boulevard and Newman Street, said Jeff Lopez, deputy fire marshal with the Huntington Beach Fire Department. The body was lying on the sidewalk on Newman Street, adjacent to the Beach Medical building at 17742 Beach Blvd for about four hours after the incident occurred. The coroner's office removed the body at about 10:30 a.m. Jeff Lopez, deputy fire marshal with the Huntington Beach Fire Department, said the man was using an aluminum extension rod to reach the third story with his brush. "It came into contact with the power line which shorted to the ground and electrocuted him immediately," Lopez said. It appears the man was walking around a tree when his equipment touched the power line, Lopez added. Power was out while authorities removed the worker's brush that hung from the power line above the sidewalk on Newman Avenue. The medical office building was briefly evacuated and is now fully occupied, Lopez said. The worker's name and age were not immediately released.
33,000-volt jolt: Staten Islander's incredible story of survival: STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - As he lay on the ground, feet smoldering, boots singed, holes burned through his white cotton socks, the first thought that went through Nick Genovese’s head was "Don’t die." Some 33,000 volts of electricity had just surged through the Oakwood window washer’s body, after the 40-foot metal washing pole he was holding with his partner made contact with power lines outside an office building in Lynbrook, L.I. "The wind caught it and we seemed to lose a little balance," Genovese said. "I felt the electric shock going through me." "I felt like I was getting fried," added Genovese, 58, the father of two teenage daughters. "The jolt knocked me to the ground. I felt my hands and my feet starting to burn." He never lost consciousness, he said, and he was aware of his surroundings the whole time. It was like something out of a cartoon, he said, his body shaking like the animated characters Tom and Jerry when their tails got stuck in a socket. "It went in my hands and out my feet," Genovese said. "The electricity came out my socks and boots."
His partner, Alan Weinberg, 64, was holding tighter to the pole and was critically injured. Weinberg "passed away at the scene," according to Genovese. It took 20 minutes for emergency responders to revive Weinberg, and he remains hospitalized. Genovese suffered-third degree burns of his feet and between his thumbs and index fingers, where he had grasped the pole with his hands, which were covered with insulated rubber gloves. "His feet actually went on fire in the boots," said his wife, Joann Genovese. After the accident, Genovese called his wife from his bed in Nassau County Medical Center’s East Meadow Burn Unit. "I have a problem," he said over the phone. Her thoughts automatically ran to car crash, she said. "I got electrocuted," he told her. "You got what?!" she responded in disbelief.
Curious to learn just how lucky he’d been to survive such a shock, Genovese did some research on the Internet. "I survived 11 times the voltage of the electric chair," he said, after his search showed a typical chair carries about 3,000 volts. Genovese said he has been told he’s not out of the woods yet and will have to be checked out by a neurologist, cardiologist and ophthalmologist to make sure the electricity didn’t cause any internal damage. Now under the care of Dr. Michael Cooper at Staten Island University Hospital’s burn unit, Genovese is expected to learn today if he’ll need skin-graft surgery, or be left to heal on his own.
In the window-washing business for 41 years, Genovese works for the New York Racing Association, and was working with Weinberg as a side job to make extra money for Christmas. Despite his ordeal, he’s going right back to work when he recovers, he said. Genovese was never particularly religious, he said, but he told a news reporter that after he has recovered, "I’m going back to church." A nun in the hospital who had read his quote in an article about his ordeal approached him and said, "I hope you keep your word. He’s watching you up there." "I know I’m blessed in more ways than one," Genovese said. "I’ve got good friends, a great family, a loving wife and two beautiful children. I’m just looking to heal and get better." When he was discharged last week, a nurse told him, "Go home and evaluate your life, because you are here for a purpose." "I don’t know what my purpose is yet," he said, reflecting on the accident from the comfort of his living room recliner. "I’m just blessed, and happy to be alive and to be home." Last Blog on this story here.
Santa Clara company fined over Orinda window cleaning accident: A Santa Clara-based window washing company has been fined $17,550 after an Orinda electrical accident that injured two of their employees, one fatally. The state Department of Occupational Safety and Health issued three citations Friday against the Delta Window Cleaning Company stemming from the June 5 accident. Jose Herrera and Eduardo Guerra were severely burned when the bucket of their cherry picker came into contact with high-voltage transmission lines over downtown Orinda. Herrera died of his injuries nearly three weeks later. The most serious citation says Herrera and Guerra came within one foot of the power lines despite regulations mandating they be at least 13 feet away. See the story that broke here.
SI Window Washer Survives 33K Volt Shock: Nicholas Genovese sat in his hospital room, his hands and feet still bandaged, and called his survival a "miracle.""I am not the best Catholic," the Staten Island window washer admitted. "But I am going to start going to church again this Sunday." Genovese, 58, survived a jolt of thirty-three thousand volts of electricity while cleaning the windows of a Lynbrook office building Saturday. He and partner Alan Weinberg, 64, of Long Beach, apparently lost control of their forty feet long cleaning pole in the high winds, according to Lynbrook fire department spokesman Steve Grogran.
Both window washers were on the sidewalk outside the building, maneuvering the aluminum instrument toward the windows above, when it was blown onto high tension wires near the building.
"They probably shouldn't have been attempting that in those conditions," Grogan said. Both window washers were immediately knocked to the ground. "I blacked out for a second," said Genovese. "Then I felt the electricity run through my body." Genovese suffered third degree burns on his hands and feet but may have survived, said Grogan, because he did not have a firm grip on the pole. Weinberg, however, WAS holding it firmly in both hands and was badly injured. "He had no vital signs for nearly twenty minutes," said Grogan.
Lynbrook volunteer firefighters refused to give up their battle to save him and, with help from Lynbrook and Nassau police officers, finally restored Weinberg's pulse after three jolts from a defibrillator. Weinberg remains hospitalized in critical but stable condition, according to a spokesperson for Nassau University Medical Center. Both window washers are now being treated there. Genovese, a father of three, usually serves as a window washer for NYRA; but was on this job as a way to make extra money this holiday season. He promised to be back out there as soon as he is healed; but will forever count his blessings. "I am very lucky," Genovese said. "You never expect something like this to happen to you."
Workers electrified in Lynbrook accident: Two workers were seriously injured in Lynbrook on Saturday when the 40-foot pole they were both holding was blown into a power line, causing a severe shock to both men. According to detectives, two men working for Hewlett Window Cleaners were preparing to wash the windows at Bank of America, at 300 Merrick Rd. using a telescoping 40-foot washing pole (pictured above). Nicholas Genovese 58, of Staten Island was holding the pole at the top of a ladder, while his co-worker, Alan Weinberg 64, of Long Beach was standing on the ground holding the bottom of the pole. A gust of wind blew the pole into a nearby power line, causing serious injury to both Genovese and Weinberg.
Weinberg was in cardiac arrest when police arrived. Lynbrook officer Doug King and NCPD Detective Gary Ferrucci began CPR, followed by Lynbrook firefighters, who were responding to a house fire on Robertson Road when they were notified of a second call for the reported “electrocution,” said fire department spokesperson Steve Grogan. "The Emergency Medical Company was three blocks away and was immediately diverted to the bank," he said. Grogan said that Weinberg was lying on the sidewalk in front of the bank when medics arrived, and his co-worker, Genovese, was lying nearby, being attended to by Lynbrook Police Officer Sal Sedita. At that point, firefighters and other Emergency Medical Technicians arrived and took over in attempting to revive Weinberg who had no pulse and was suffering burns to his hands and feet. Genovese was also suffering burns, but was conscious.
Both window washers were holding the 40-foot pole with a brush on one end as they cleaned the third story windows of the bank, when a gust of wind sent the pole into a 33,000 volt power line running along Merrick Road. Both were electrified and thrown to the sidewalk, with Weinberg going into cardiac arrest. For over 20 minutes, Grogan said, firefighters performed CPR and defibrillated Weinberg without success and without re-gaining a pulse. Finally, after being defibrillated - or shocked - a third time, he was finally revived in the Emergency Medical Company ambulance on the way to the hospital. "Electricity killed him and electricity brought him back to life," said Grogan.
Weinberg was transported to South Nassau Communities Hospital where he was stabilized and then transferred to Nassau University Medical Center Burn Unit for treatment of third and fourth-degree burns to his hands and feet. He is reported to be in very critical condition. Genovese was taken to Nassau University Medical Center and admitted to the Burn Unit for treatment of second and third degree burns. He is in stable condition, according to police. Fire officials also reported that Weinberg’s brother was shocked in a similar type incident some 20 years ago on Freer Street in Lynbrook. He survived.
Staten Island man survives 33,000-volt shock though his body: On Saturday, Nicholas Genovese took what could have been a fatal dose of electricity - 33,000 volts coursing through his and a fellow window washer’s body as they worked on a Long Island bank. Pictured above Joann Genovese dances with her husband, Nicholas. He could be out of the hospital by the weekend. Yesterday, Nicholas Genovese, 58, of Oakwood, was well enough to watch from his hospital bed as the New York Giants beat the Jacksonville Jaguars. Genovese, who has two daughters, ages 19 and 17, is recovering and in good spirits in a burn unit at Nassau University Medical Center, his wife, Joann, told the Advance last night.
“He just blacked out for a second,” Mrs. Genovese said. Genovese is slated to get skin graft surgery for his badly-burned hands and feet today or tomorrow, and may be out of the hospital as early as the weekend, she said. Genovese and a friend, Alan Weinberg, 64, were working for Hewlett Window Cleaners and preparing to wash the windows at a Bank of America branch in Lynbrook, L.I., with a 40-foot telescoping washing pole at about 7:30 a.m. Saturday when a wind gust pushed the pole into a power line. Weinberg was in cardiac arrest when police arrived. They performed CPR, and paramedics from the Lynbrook Fire Department continued treatment.
Weinberg was stabilized at South Nassau Communities Hospital and subsequently moved to Nassau University Medical Center Burn Unit for treatment of second- and third-degree burns to his hands and feet. He was in critical condition, but according to published reports is expected to survive. Mrs. Genovese said her husband called her from the hospital, at first telling her, “I had a problem.” When she asked him what happened, and if he had been in a car crash, he told her, “No, I got electrocuted.” “I was in shock. I said, ‘What? Are you going to be alright?’” she recalled. Genovese, who works at the Aqueduct Race Track and Belmont Park, was supposed to be on vacation this weekend, but took on the window washing job as a side gig, his wife said. “I’m lucky he’s not dead,” Mrs. Genovese said. “By rights, we’re supposed to be in the funeral parlor.”
See previous electrocution with water fed poles here & here. Safety guidelines for water fed pole users here. Solar Panel cleaning here. Extreme study here.
Long Island window washers suffer electric shock: Lynbrook, New York - Two men working as window washers on Long Island were injured when their washing pole hit a power line, causing an electric shock. The incident happened around 7:30 Saturday morning at the Bank of America on Merrick Road in Lynbrook. The two men who were working for Hewlett Window Cleaners were preparing to wash the building's windows when a gust of wind blew into the two men holding the 40' washing pole. 58-year-old Nicholas Genovese of Staten Island was holding the pole at the top of a ladder while 64-year-old Alan Weinberg of Long Beach was holding it on the ground. The wind blew the pole into a power line causing serious injury to both men.
Weinberg was in cardiac arrest and paramedics performed CPR to regain a heartbeat. He was rushed to South Nassau Communities Hospital where he was stabilized and then transferred to Nassau University Medical Center's Burn Unit for treatment of second and third degree burns to his hands and feet. He is listed in critical condition. Genovese was transported directly to Nassau University Medical Center where he was admitted to the Burn Unit for treatment of second and third degree burns. He is listed in stable condition.
L.I. Window Washers Injured After Electric Shock: Two window washers were hospitalized after receiving an electric shock in Lynbrook Saturday. The incident happened at 300 Merrick Road around 7:30 a.m. According to detectives, two men working for Hewlett Window Cleaners were preparing to wash the windows at a Bank of America branch using a telescoping 40-foot washing pole. Staten Island resident Nicholas Genovese, 58, was holding the pole at the top of a ladder while Alan Weinberg, 64, of Long Beach was standing on the ground holding the bottom of the pole. At that time, a gust of wind blew the pole into a power line.
Police said that by the time officers arrived, Weinberg was in cardiac arrest. They performed CPR, and paramedics from the Lynbrook Fire Department continued treatment. Weinberg was stabilized at South Nassau Communities Hospital and subsequently moved to Nassau University Medical Center Burn Unit for treatment of second and third degree burns to his hands and feet. He was in critical condition. Genovese suffered second and third degree burns. He was in stable condition at Nassau University Medical Center.
See previous electrocution with water fed poles here & here.
Victoria, B.C. Canada - A window washer was hospitalized Tuesday after the metal pole he was using touched a live power line. “The electricity transferred right through the rod that he was carrying,” said Victoria police Sgt. Grant Hamilton.
He said the man was on the ground and using an extension device about 10:50 a.m. to reach the top windows at the Royal Scot Hotel & Suites on Quebec Street, about half a block from the legislature. He was working for an independent contractor.
Two hotel workers in the area saw what was happening and ran to help, Hamilton said. “They dragged him out of harm’s way because the brush and the pole were still sparking, there was arcing. They immediately started CPR because he wasn’t breathing. “The quick action and quick thinking on their part could quite possibly have saved his life.”
The man, in his early 60s, was taken to Royal Jubilee Hospital, Hamilton said. At last report he was listed in critical condition in the intensive-care unit. Emergency crews responding to the incident were joined by B.C. Hydro, which shut down power. The road was blocked for about an hour. “There are several layers of review and investigation that initiate now,” Hamilton said.
Megan Johnston of WorkSafe B.C. said her agency is looking into the circumstances of what took place. She described the extender the window washer was using as a 10.5-metre-long tool that has water running through it. “It appears that he lost control of the pole and it hit a 120-volt power line that was running to a streetlight,” Johnston said.
Tucker Pole?
Window washer in hospital after being electrocuted on the job: A window-washer is in hospital after being electrocuted on the job Tuesday morning. Philip Howe, owner of ACME Building Maintenance, was washing the windows of the Royal Scot Hotel on Quebec Street near the Inner Harbour when his 30-foot metal window-washing wand touched electrical lines. At this point it is unsure if he suffered cardiac arrest before losing control of the wand or if touching his wand to the electrical line caused the cardiac arrest. When firefighters arrived, a person on the scene was trying to resuscitate Howe. “We were dispatched for a medical aid for a window washer that was injured and while en-route we were told there was a possibility of wires down,” said acting Lieutenant Oscar Pohl of the Victoria Fire Department . “When we arrived we found what we perceived to be an apparent electrocution. You could see his window-washing wand had contacted the lines and he was down on the ground and people were performing CPR.” BC Hydro was called to the scene where they de-energized the line. Howe was then taken to Royal Jubilee Hospital. “We are not too sure if it was electrocution, or if he had a heart attack and dropped his pole which made it look like it was an electrocution,” ACME manager Jean-Paul Meek said. “He is breathing in hospital by himself with the help of some devices, but he is not conscious yet.” Howe was an experienced window washer and the company has been in his family for over 46 years.
