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2 Workmen Burned When Umbrella Touches Power Line

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 23, 2008

TAMPA - Two construction workers in separate cherry-picker buckets were shocked this morning when one of the men touched an umbrella to an overhead power line, authorities said.

The sound of the electrical arc was heard by nearby firefighters at a station close to Spruce Street and Manhattan Avenue, according to Tampa Fire Rescue officials.

Firefighters and paramedics were on the scene almost immediately and found two men with electrical burns.

Their names were not immediately available. They were described only as construction workers.

Firefighters said that the 10:20 a.m. accident occurred at a parking garage under construction. One man in a bucket opened an umbrella to shield himself from the sun and the umbrella touched a 138,000-volt overhead power line that 40 to 50 feet above the ground.

The electricity arced to a second bucket about four feet away, firefighters said, injuring the second worker. They were taken to St. Joseph's Hospital and treated for minor burns, firefighters said.

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