15.06.2008

Two electrocuted

Two men sandblasting a highway bridge from a truck mounted lift working over the Fox River in Elgin, Illinois, were killed on Wednesday after coming in to contact with high voltage power lines running underneath the bridge deck.

The platform, which was working around six metres above the ground, was engulfed in flames and was still burning when the emergency services arrived.

Rudy Horist, Elgin's assistant fire chief said: "It was obvious upon our arrival the two gentlemen were deceased.”

The victims were employed by Lansing-based Eagle Painting and Maintenance, which is contracted by the Illinois Department of Transportation to clean and paint the bridge.

A colleague, working on the ground said there was a loud explosion and then the basket of the lift caught fire. Around 1,400 Commonwealth Edison customers lost power in Elgin.

According to local reports Eagle Painting has been repeatedly cited for safety violations over the past six years or so.