BOSTON (WHDH) - A Boston city councilor said he is taking action about a hidden danger after a dog was electrocuted and killed by a stray voltage under a sidewalk in Boston.
Mary Beth Begley said she was walking her Plott Hound, Bob, on Southampton Street last month. As they walked towards a street light control box, Bob was electrocuted.
“He was screaming, I was yelling at people to come help me and then all of a sudden he collapsed,” said Begley. Bob was taken to the animal hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The Boston Public Works Department confirmed a stray voltage caused by a corroded grounding lug is what electrocuted Bob. A major problem with the older electrical cabinets is when the ground saturates in the winter and combines with salt used to de-ice sidewalks, wires can corrode and produce underground voltages.
This is not the first time a dog has been electrocuted in this manner and City Councilor Ed Flynn said he wants things to change.
Flynn said a study needs to be done of the city’s infrastructure, including what is working and what is not working. He said he has met with the DPW and will be meeting with utility companies. He has also called for extensive voltage testing of manholes and sidewalk metal grates.
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