This Guy Had a Very Bad Day

[MountainDon]

Thanks to Paul Wheaton....


http://docs.google.com/View?id=df8s28k6_8cjcsb7fn

[diyfrank]

I would say so. Wonder if the driver was fried?
Looks like he tossed his wrapper a little high.

[bayview]

   I'm surprised that some kind of "breaker" didn't "trip"  . . .    Definitely had some bad luck . . .

/

[Homegrown Tomatoes]

Ouch... that's gonna leave a mark.

[glenn kangiser]

I hate it when that happens..... [ouch]

[Ernest T. Bass]

I know nothing about high power lines, but I guess I didn't realize they were so dangerous. Why aren't the cables sheathed or something? Also, I thought that in order to conduct current, a circuit has to be completed. Why would the juice flow down through the truck to the ground like a massive electric fence?

[diyfrank]

We work around power lines at times. We were swinging steel sheets and placing them on top of the ditch along the edge of the road for a temp lane to send traffic through while digging in the street. There were 2 worker standing on already placed sheets and ready to place the next one. The boom raised withing a few feet of some lines about the same as in the photos. An arc jumped to the boom and current when down the steel cable on the sheet pick. It then arced to the sheet the workers were standing on. They weren't hurt but for that moment, they couldn't move. They when in to be checked out and were fine. There has been plenty more times but that was the closest I've seen were someone may have been killed. I think those lines are 10' being the closest you can get near.

[John Raabe]

Those lines seem pretty low for that much voltage. Boy, that hookup must have been a snappy surprise. I hope he didn't grab for the door handle!

[glenn kangiser]

I know nothing about high power lines, but I guess I didn't realize they were so dangerous. Why aren't the cables sheathed or something? Also, I thought that in order to conduct current, a circuit has to be completed. Why would the juice flow down through the truck to the ground like a massive electric fence?

Crispy Critters, Andrew.

You are just not supposed to throw your log chain up there.  Every so often farm laborers get fried moving aluminum irrigation pipes around here.

The ground is one part of the circuit and is usually hooked to the common of 120 v systems in one place or another.  That is why grounding and ground rods are so important in a normal electrical system but not so good if you get across the hot and a good ground. Another reason not to blow dry your hair in the bathtub, eh?

That was a main line before a transformer steps it down to house voltage so it was fairly unlimited.

Here is a bit higher voltage switch opening someone sent me a link to a while back.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXiOQCRiSp0  

Cool, huh?

[Ernest T. Bass]

Yeah, I guess... Kinda freaky. Thanks for the explanation.

[JavaMan]

Ernie (Actually, I guess it's Andrew!  ) - one of the reasons why they aren't sheathed is because as the voltage increases it takes a thicker amount of insulation (sheath) to keep the voltage from jumping across it.  This would add weight, and become so cumbersome that it isn't mechanically or economically feasable. (expensive and more, stronger hardware to hold all that up there)

As someone mentioned, the circuit to ground was completed when the chain was tossed over the wire.  The tires on the truck were probably steel belted, which is why they started to cook almost immediately. All there was preventing a direct connection to ground was a fraction of an inch "insulation"

ouch.

There's a log truck rig for sale here on Craigslist, if he needs to replace it.  

[glenn kangiser]

Carbon trails on trees or poles during sa fire will conduct electricity (High Voltage) to ground.  I think tires are colored with carbon black in the rubber.

Crane trucks, drilling equipment and forklifts, etc are limited to 10 feet from the lower high voltage lines due to danger of electrocution. More as voltage gets higher.