One contractor was killed and one remains hospitalized following an electrical accident that occurred as the two were working on a damaged utility pole.
Details of the Fatal Incident
According to KLTV, Wesley Ray Cain, 34, and Billy Titsworth, 42, were both transported the hospital following an electrical accident in Tyler, Texas. Cain was pronounced dead after arriving to ETMC while Titsworth was transferred to Dallas after being transported to Trinity Mother Francis.
Cain and Titsworth were working on a utility pole that was damaged early Friday morning after it was struck by a vehicle when the accident occurred.
Reports indicate one of the men came in contact with a wire that was still live. The electricity was transferred to the other individual through bodily contact.
The incident remains under investigation. The driver of the vehicle that struck the utility pole has since been arrested after fleeing the scene.
On the Job Accident Statistics
The following information was provided by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA):
- 4,836 workers were killed on the job in 2015. This averages to more than 93 deaths a week or more than 13 deaths per day.
- Of the fatalities recorded in 2015, 4,379 occurred in private industry and 937 were linked to construction.
- Among the leading causes of work-related deaths are:
- Falls
- Struck by object
- Electrocutions
- Caught-in/between
