The Wellesley Police Department reports that a man apparently got “a life-threatening electrical shock” while installing holiday lights on a large tree on Falmouth Circle on Wednesday, Nov. 27, at around 10 am. After being treated at the scene, the man was transported to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for additional treatment, then transferred to the Massachusetts General Hospital (no further status on the man’s condition was provided).
The initial investigation revealed that a large pole used by the contractor to string holiday lights for a resident came into close proximity or actually contacted the primary electrical line on the top of a nearby utility pole. The victim was apparently electrocuted when this contact was made, and a 911 call was made.
The 911 caller was instructed by a police dispatcher to perform CPR until officers arrived on the scene shortly thereafter. The Wellesley Fire Department, Municipal Light Plant, and a mutual aid paramedic ambulance from the Needham Fire Department were looped into the response.
Police officers determined the man appeared to be in cardiac arrest and took over performing CPR. Police and fire personnel set up an automatic external defibrillator (AED) to deliver shocks that appear to have revived the victim. A paramedic ambulance from Needham Fire arrived and began rendering advanced life support care before the man was transported to the hospital.
During a safety check by the WMLP, it was determined that the utility pole itself was of no danger to the public. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) personnel are also involved now in the investigation.
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