This one mistake caused someone to lose their life…here’s how you can prevent this from happening.
Madeline Kelly, a 34-year-old woman from Mendota in Fresno County, California, was walking her dog and a companion when they were electrocuted by a downed power line.
The circumstances leading up to this tragedy are still under investigation.
The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office reported that there had been a vegetation fire in the area.
This appears to have weakened the power pole which held the line, resulting in it falling sometime later creating an unseen hazard for unsuspecting passersby.
Emergency responders attempted unsuccessfully to revive Ms Kelly but their efforts proved futile.
Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) has released a statement saying they are “working with first responders to investigate the circumstances of this tragic accident”.
Melissa Rust, Madeline’s mother said that it was “a wrongful death” and believes someone may have been negligent which caused her daughter’s death.
In response Mrs Rust set up a GoFundMe page to help raise funeral expenses calling her loss “incredibly sudden and horrifically shocking” stating her daughter had “a lot of life left to go”.
In light of this tragedy PG&E has reminded people on their website always assume any downed power line is live and dangerous regardless if it looks like it is not working or insulated.
Essentially…stay away.
They also advise you should call 911 right away if you spot one as well as keep children and pets out of harm’s way.
Don’t touch anything around it either including cars or equipment, or anyone who is in contact with the fallen wire for safety reasons too.
