Indiana utility worker shocked, killed by fallen power line
FARMERSBURG, Ind. (AP) — Officials say a utility worker died after being shocked while working on a downed power line in rural western Indiana.
The Sullivan County coroner’s office says 46-year-old Ray Lockhart of Linton died Wednesday afternoon while working at the site along a county road near the town of Farmersburg. Utility crews were working to repair a power outage in the area about 15 miles south of Terre Haute when Lockhart was shocked.
Vincennes-based WIN Energy REMC says Lockhart was an experienced line specialist who had worked for the electric utility for 3 1/2 years.
The Sullivan County Sheriff’s Department says the utility and state safety regulators will investigate why the downed line still had power and whether proper safety procedures were followed.