Man Severely Burned by Power Line Shock

A worker was seriously injured Monday afternoon after being shocked by thousands of volts of electricity on the roof of a Pacific Bell transfer station in Ojai.

The worker, whose name was withheld by authorities, was injured at 3:50 p.m. while he and another man were installing an air conditioner on the roof of the transfer station in downtown Ojai. He is being treated at Ojai Valley Community Hospital.

“We just heard a big, huge boom,” said Larry Briggs, owner of the O-Hi Frostie restaurant across the street from the small, windowless building at 202 W. Ojai Ave. where the men were working.

Capt. Tom Weir of the Ventura County Fire Department said the man had been carrying a long metal bar that accidentally touched an overhead power line, which was carrying 16,000 volts of electricity, sending a massive surge of current through his body.

“It kicked open the circuit breaker on the power pole,” Weir said.

The force of the electric shock apparently knocked a hammer out of the man’s hand and into the street, Briggs said.

The accident also shorted out the power along the street. The worker, who was severely burned on his face and arms, was in full cardiac arrest when paramedics arrived minutes later, officials said.