Man sentenced in crash that led to electrocution of 2 good Samaritans

A 21-year-old Glendale man who crashed into a utility pole, resulting in the deaths of two women electrocuted by downed power lines after trying to come to his aid, was sentenced Wednesday to probation and community service.

Arman Samsonian, 21, was ordered to serve three years of probation and 70 days of community service, the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office said.

A Van Nuys judge also ordered Samsonian to pay restitution to the families of both victims and enter into a program where he will have to volunteer at a hospital morgue, the district attorney’s office said.

Samsonian was driving at a high rate of speed in August 2012 when he lost control of his sport utility vehicle and struck a light pole in Valley Village on Magnolia Boulevard, shearing a fire hydrant that flooded the ground with water. The water became energized when it came into contact with exposed electrical wires.

After the violent crash, Irma Yolanda Zamora, 40, and Stacey Lee Schreiber, 39, ran toward the SUV to render aid. The would-be rescuers were killed instantly after stepping into a pool of water that had been electrified by 4,800 volts from the fallen power line.

Six others were injured by shocks when they also made contact with the water. Samsonian, who was 19 at the time of the incident, pleaded no contest to one count of vehicular manslaughter in May.

Samsonian’s attorney, Andrew Flier, commended the good Samaritans who went to help, “but at the same time, it was a clear dangerous situation,” he told the Glendale News-Press.

“I think this really affected him,” Flier added.

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