Man climbing Seattle electrical tower falls to death on 152-foot platform
May 3, 2013, 6:48 AM | Updated: 4:10 pm
City Light had to shut down the power to make it safe for Seattle firefighters to get to the body. It's very close to 120,000-volt power lines. (KIRO Radio Photo/Chris Sullivan)
(KIRO Radio Photo/Chris Sullivan)
Seattle City Light power-downed a large electrical tower in the Fremont neighborhood so a recovery team could reach a body on a platform 152-feet off the ground.
City Light had to shut down the power to make it safe for Seattle firefighters to get to the body. It’s very close to 120,000-volt power lines.
Kyle Moore with Seattle Fire says 911 started getting calls about 12:30 a.m. this morning.
“They got a witness report that there was an individual climbing the tower, and the witness said they saw that person fall, and a spark,” described Moore.
The Snohomish County Sheriff’s helicopter was called in to check on that report. The body was confirmed about 4 a.m.
It took 35 minutes for firefighters to climb the tower once the power was turned off and lower the body to the ground.
Seattle police are investigating the indicent as a trespass and are calling the man’s death “accidental.” Both cops and City Light are looking into how the man was able to climb the tower since there are no ladders on the tower near the ground level.
City Light crews found no evidence of damage to the tower or the high voltage line.
