A construction worker was shocked with 21,000 volts of electricity after a section of gutter he was maneuvering struck a power line in downtown Gilroy, leaving 4,200 PG&E customers without power.The construction site at 7680 Monterey Street, between Lewis Street and I.O.O.F. Avenue next to the Gilroy Garlic Festival Association office, backs up to a set of power lines that loom only feet away. Eliseo Turcios, 26, an employee of Wildcat Metals, a sheet metal company in San Jose, was walking on third-story scaffolding holding a 10-foot section of steel gutter when he turned a corner and knocked into a power line.
The shock sent him tumbling several feet to the balcony below. Several witnesses flagged down a police officer who called for backup at 12:32 p.m., Sgt. John Sheedy said. Officials found the man burned, but conscious. His fellow workers tended to him until emergency personnel showed up.
"Several employees came to his aid right away," Sheedy said.
Gilroy firefighters hosed down a vacant field to prepare for a helicopter that flew in from Stanford. Wind generated by the helicopter's propellers churned up rubble and dust as it landed. Paramedics tended to Turcios' burns before loading him into the helicopter.
He suffered significant injuries, including internal and external burns and second and third degree burns on his hands and legs, said Battalion Chief Phil King. Turcios was sedated for the flight to the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose and received "outstanding medical care," said Capt. Shaun Peyghambary.
Lewis Street was closed off near Railroad Street while a PG&E crew repaired downed power lines. When the gutter hit the line, it created a short and snapped the line at a weak spot over Lewis Street, officials said.
About 4,200 customers down First Street and around Lewis and Railroad streets lost power until 2:15 p.m., said Brian Swanson, a PG&E spokesman.
"The safety message we want everyone to learn is that if they're working around high-voltage power lines, they need to look out and be aware," Swanson said. "This was a tragic thing."
Neighbors living nearby said the power surged briefly in their homes and a loud crackle of electricity accompanied the accident.
"It was eerie," said Chris Valdez, owner of Head to Toe Salon - one of the businesses left in the dark for hours - of the crackling noise caused by the downed power lines. "Hopefully he'll be OK."
The building under construction is owned by Afonso Almeida and will be a mixed-use building called the Almeida Mini Mall, with 24 residential apartments and office space on the lower floor. Almeida, a local rental property owner, knew little about the accident and was waiting to get a full report from police.
The accident is being investigated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, fire officials said.
