2 hospitalized after machinery strikes high-voltage power line
COLUMBUS, Ind. (WISH) — Two men suffered electrical shocks when the front-end loader they were operating struck a high-voltage power line at Rightway Fasteners in Columbus, according to police.
Emergency crews were called to the facility in the 7900 block of S. International Drive just after 2 p.m.
A crew of three men was moving a large air handling unit through a parking lot with the loader hoisted approximately 25 feet off the ground. When the the loader came in contact with a 69,000-volt power line, two men walking on the ground near the air handling unit were shocked.
The third man, who was operating the machinery, was not injured.
24-Hour News 8 partner The Republic has additional details:
Emergency responders said Bob Wilson, age unavailable, Mooresville, was airlifted by helicopter to Eskenazi Health in Indianapolis.
Tim King, age unavailable, Columbus, was taken by ambulance to Columbus Regional Hospital, according to emergency responders.
Investigators said the two were outdoors using a front-end loader to move an 18-foot tall air handling system from the north side of the building to the south side of the building when they hit a 69,000-volt power line.
The two men are contractors from DL Industrial. Workers inside the building found the injured men after the accident caused power failure.