Severely burned man rescued from utility pole in Dallas
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Severely burned man rescued from utility pole in Dallas | Top stories | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle
DALLAS — A man who climbed to the top of a utility pole today in an alleged effort to steal copper had to be rescued after he was jolted by a high-voltage wire and burned over 50 percent of his body, officials said.
Live TV coverage of the 1 1/2 -hour rescue showed the man's shirt in tatters, his jeans mostly burned away from his body. His skin looked red and he appeared to be in extreme pain as rescue personnel eased him down a fire truck's extended ladder.
"The suspect was on the transformer and grabbed one of the live wires," said Dallas Police Senior Cpl. Gerry Monreal, who noted police arrived to find several electric wires had been cut and were on the ground.
The man was taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas with third-degree burns on about half of his body, said Dallas Fire-Rescue spokeswoman Sherrie Lopez. A hospital spokesman declined to release details on the man's condition.
Oncor Electric Delivery spokeswoman Carol Peters said the voltage on the pole was about 7,000 volts.
"Whatever he was doing on top of the pole caused a power outage for a few minutes," said Peters.
Power was turned off to the pole during the rescue, and was later restored to the neighborhood, Peters said. The height of a standard utility pole is about 40 feet, she said.
Police Sgt. Richard Santiesteban said the man apparently was trying to steal copper wire.
The man initially would be charged with felony criminal mischief for damage done to the utility pole area, Monreal said. The third-degree felony is punishable by 2-10 years in prison, and up to a $10,000 fine.
Rescue crews just before 7 a.m. today removed the injured man from the pole, where he was wedged between two transformers.
Copper thefts have increased across the nation as the salvage price for the metal has gone up dramatically in recent years. Thieves typically target electric cable, pipes, gutters and salvage yards.
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