SANTA ANA : Youth Critical After Electrical Shock

A 16-year-old Santa Ana boy remained in critical condition Wednesday after a metal radio tower he was trying to install came in contact with a 12,000-volt power line, authorities said.

Two others who were involved in Tuesday’s incident were hospitalized and listed in serious condition at UCI Medical Center in Orange.

Battalion Chief John Chambers of the Santa Ana Fire Department said the bolt of electricity that surged through Sergio Olguin stopped his heart. The electricity burst holes in his hands and feet as it exited his body.

Paramedics revived him before rushing him to Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical Center.

Olguin, his 17-year-old brother, Caesar, and a friend, Carlos Mangana, 24, were installing a 48-foot radio tower at their home on the 2000 block of Elder Street when the metal structure toppled into a power line.

The Olguins’ 21-year-old sister, Ana, said the bolt of electricity threw Caesar Olguin and Mangana in some nearby bushes. The tower crashed to the ground, pinning Sergio’s leg, she said.

Chambers said Sergio suffered serious burns. Doctors were attempting to determine the extent of injuries to his vital organs. At UCI, doctors were conducting similar tests on Caesar Olguin and Mangana, who both suffered second- and third-degree burns.

Antonio Olguin, the father of Sergio and Caesar Olguin, did not have a permit for the antenna the young men were trying to install, fire officials said. He had planned to set up a citizens band radio to use in his towing business, Ana Olguin said.