With spring, comes spring storms- including high winds that occasionally cause power lines to fall or dangle, posing a risk to people who come across them.
ChelanCounty PUD Safety Training Coordinator, Dave Parkhill, reminds us of the potentially deadly threat of downed electric wires- asking us to assume every power line is energized.
And Parkhill adds that is in not just the downed lines we need to worry about, activities such as kite flying could potentially bring us too close to power lines, and if not handled properly, can create serious dangers.
Overhead power lines are not insulated, and can carry more than 500,000 volts. Touching power lines will cause a person to become an electrical conductor that can often result in death.
In 2009, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 63 people were killed by coming into contact with overhead power lines. "CLICK HERE" for Audio
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