PLYMOUTH, MASS. (WHDH) – A 15-year-old boy suffered serious burns and injuries after being shocked while climbing a pole near an Eversource substation in Plymouth Tuesday, a fire official said.
The teen, whose name has not been released, had climbed a pole and was swinging 30 feet in the air when he came into contact with a 115,000-volt wire.
“He’s a spider monkey,” the victim’s friend Emily Hamilton said. “He likes to climb and stuff. He’s a little daredevil.”
The shock caused the boy to fall 30 feet to the ground below, where officials found him with serious burns and broken ribs.
The boy was conscious and able to speak when he was transported by ambulance to Boston Children’s Hospital around 6 a.m.
“A lot of his clothes had been burned from the electrical shock,” Plymouth Fire Chief Edward Bradley said.
The substation is clearly marked with “No Trespassing” and “Danger” signs, Bradley pointed out.
Three girls were with the boy and were emotionally shaken up by the incident.
In a statement, Eversource said, “As we investigate what happened this morning, our thoughts are with the young man, his family and friends, and we all hope he’ll be okay. We can’t emphasize strongly enough that high voltage power lines and electrical substations can be hazardous, which is why we implore everyone to stay away from them.”
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