Step.- An El Paso teenager received an electric shock after climbing a power pole near a skate park on the City’s East Side Thursday.
According to the University Medical Center (UMC), the teenager was taken to the burn center in Lubbock to receive treatment for his injuries.
Electric shock seriously injures one person at East El Paso skatepark
The incident occurred near Dick Shinaut Park on Rufus Brijalba Drive.
In the video that shows what happened, the teenager can be seen sitting on top of the electric pole. Someone on the ground throws something and then an explosion occurs and the teen falls off the pole.
A witness who was at the skate park when it happened says someone threw a rock and when the teen on the pole tried to catch it, he touched the wire. The witness told KTSM television that this was not the first time the teenager had climbed the electric pole.
“Almost every time I see him, he gets up there and everyone says ‘Oh touch it’ and he says ‘No, I’m not going to touch that,'” said Kristian Gillham, who was at the skate park.
The skate park and electric pole are right next to some houses. A person who lives there said that she lost power when the incident occurred.
“It’s actually annoying because the park was created for kids to come and have fun and meet new people, but not for it to escalate to this point,” said Annabel Arispe, who lives next door to the park.
El Paso Electric warns the community about the dangers of power lines and poles and asks the public to report any concerns.
“Any part of an electrical system can be dangerous. Every part of what we do has some kind of danger level. Therefore, we ask the public to stay away from anything like vehicle incidents, something that just doesn’t seem normal. call us. We will send professional help to determine if everything is normal or not,” said Anthony Ramos, who is a member of the El Paso Electric line team.
