WELLESLEY, Mass. — A contractor who was hanging holiday lights on a tree outside a Wellesley home Wednesday has been rushed to the hospital after being seriously shocked, officials say.
“He’ll be pretty lucky if he survives, you know, he took a big hit, that’s primary lines up there, that’s some heavy volts,” said Officer Tim Gover, one of the first responders on scene.
Gover says the contractor, who was hired by a resident, was installing the lights outside a Falmouth Circle home around 10:00 a.m. using a 34ft long pole. He may have come into contact with the electrical line of the nearby utility pole, delivering a life-threatening shock, according to the town of Wellesley.
“He was on the ground walking close, he was probably about 5 feet from the tree, he was putting the lights on the end of the pole, his partner was holding the string of lights and as they started walking forward, that’s when we figured he actually came in contact with the pole,” said Officer Gover.
Officer Gover says the worker was zapped and collapsed after coming in contact with a primary electrical line. His coworker jumped to give him CPR until first responders arrived with an AED.
“Got out the AED, we hooked up the AED, ended up shocking him 3 times which is a lot to be shocked in the field,” said Officer Gover.
The Wellesley Fire Department, Wellesley Police Department, Wellesley Municipal Light Plant and a paramedic ambulance with the Needham Fire Department all responded to the scene.
Police say the man suffered cardiac arrest, and First responders were able to reestablish the man’s pulse after delivering several shocks from the Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) in between rounds of CPR. The man was then rushed to Newton Wellesley Hospital before being transferred to Massachusetts General Hospital for further treatment.
“We hope for the family’s sake, we’re all praying for him here that he does pull through,” said Officer Gover.
Officer Gover says this tragic accident should remind everyone to stay away from utility poles while decorating for the holidays.
“Especially on a moist day like today you know, it was raining before, it was humid, the electricity can jump and again we’re not sure if that’s what took place here or he actually touched the line,” said Gover.
“The Wellesley Police, Fire, and WMLP Department extend our thoughts and prayers to the victim and his family during this tragic incident,” the Town of Wellesley shared in a statement.
Boston 25 News reached out to the contractor’s company to see how he’s doing, but they had no comment.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was contacted and investigators are working alongside the WMLP and Wellesley Police to investigate the incident.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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