On November 15, 1986, at 7:20 p.m. the chief of a volunteer fire department (the victim) and several other fireman responded to a power line transformer fire. At 7:22 p.m. while still at the site of the transformer fire, the fire department received another emergency call concerning an automobile accident. A vehicle has gone off the road and struck a utility pole carrying a 7200 volt, three-phase power line. The force of the collision broke the pole off at ground level which caused one conductor to fall to the ground and two other conductors to sag until they were approximately three to five feet above the ground. An injured passenger remained pinned inside the vehicle. The ground was wet as it had rained previously that day. The chief of the fire department (who was on volunteer status) and another volunteer fireman arrived at the accident site. They were joined by the engine company and rescue unit from the fire department and an ambulance; a total of eight fire department and rescue personnel. All fire department personnel except the fire chief, who had assumed the role of fire ground commander, and two other firemen were wearing turnout gear which included leather gloves and rubber boots.

The vehicle involved in the accident was on its side approximately two feet from the downed conductors. The conductors were between the overturned vehicle and the road where the rescue vehicle was parked. Fire department personnel were warned that the power lines were down and to be careful. A power company employee was notified of the transformer fire and was enroute to de-energize the power line. In an effort to stabilize the accident vehicle and prevent it from turning over, a steel cable attached to a winch mounted on the rescue vehicle was extended to a length of 47 feet, pass between the conductor on the ground and the sagging conductors, and was attached to the luggage rack of the accident vehicle. The fire chief, six firemen, an emergency medical technician (EMT) employed by the ambulance company, and a bystander were all holding on to the steel cable. Five firemen let go of the cable after having been told to “stand back.” The luggage rack then pulled loose and the rack and cable contacted the energized lines. The fire chief and the bystander were both electrocuted. It is estimated that the fire chief was in contact with the electrified steel cable for approximately 30 to 45 seconds. One fireman who was not wearing turnout gear and the ambulance company EMT did not let go of the cable before it became energized. They were injured, receiving severe electrical burns. Those firemen not holding the cable when it became energized felt a slight electrical shock from the ground.

The firemen were all EMT qualified and responded immediately. The fire chief, the bystander, and the injured fireman and ambulance company EMT were freed from the electrical steel cable with the use of a fiberglass pole. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was initiated within seconds and the injured fireman was revived after experiencing full cardiac arrest. Resuscitation efforts failed to revive the fire chief who was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead by the attending physician.