Two painters suffered burns Friday morning after one of them came into contact with a high-voltage power line some 40 feet in the air, according to the San Jose Fire Department.
The men were in a bucket lift and working for a painting company at about 11 a.m. when one of them inadvertently touched the power line with his helmet, the fire department said. That led to a three-and-a-half hour rescue operation that involved Pacific Gas and Electric crews cutting power to the area before firefighters could reach the men, who had been working near the intersection of Zanker Road and Vilaggio Street in North San Jose.
The man who made contact with the line suffered burns on the upper half of his body; the other man appeared to also suffer less-severe burns, San Jose fire officials said. Both men were alive and conscious afterward, and managed to walk down a ladder once firefighters could reach them, said Jake Pisani, a San Jose fire spokesman.
They were taken to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center’s burn unit for treatment.
The incident caused power outages and street closures in the area as electrical crews worked to make sure that firefighters could safely get to the men without also being electrocuted.
The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health is expected to investigate the incident, said Battalion Chief Mark Thomas.