Electrician impaled on fence dies
29/02/2012 Paramedics and emergency personnel load the fatally injured Tenda Luvhimbi into an ambulance after he was shocked while reconnecting the electricity connection of a house in Valhalla and fell onto a palisade fence. Picture: Graeme Hosken 29/02/2012 Paramedics and emergency personnel load the fatally injured Tenda Luvhimbi into an ambulance after he was shocked while reconnecting the electricity connection of a house in Valhalla and fell onto a palisade fence. Picture: Graeme Hosken
A Pretoria electrician was killed when he was impaled on a palisade fence after he was shocked and fell off a ladder while reconnecting the electricity supply at a house near the city.
Tenda Luvhimbi died en route to Steve Biko Academic Hospital on Wednesday moments after emergency workers pulled him off the fence.
Luvhimbi, who according to witnesses and his company’s project officer, was not wearing his safety equipment when he fell after being shocked by an 11 000-volt power line while reconnecting the electricity supply to Manny de Souzi’s house in Valhalla. De Souzi on Wednesday described how the tragedy unfolded and how he and neighbours, along with Luvhimbi’s colleagues, had tried to save him.
“It was terrible. I can still hear his screams. He was pleading with us not to let him die. He was praying to God over and over again, pleading with us to get him off the fence,” said De Souzi.
De Souzi was in his garden when he heard a scream. “It was so quick. I heard the scream and then saw him fall. We immediately ran to him, holding him up. He wanted us to take him off the fence, but we couldn’t. We were scared he would bleed to death. He kept on asking us, but there was nothing we could do,” he said.
De Souzi’s neighbour, Kyle Lacey, who watched Luvhimbi climbing up the ladder said he had not been wearing his safety equipment.
“He climbed up without a harness or gloves. As he touched the circuit breaker we heard him scream and then he fell. Two of the spikes went through his leg, while a third went through his back. He was awake and screaming for help, calling people to save him.
“I ran over and helped hold him up, but he passed out. When the paramedics arrived they managed to revive him while firemen cut the fence to free him.
“It is the worst thing I have ever seen. I felt helpless.
“There was nothing we could do for him except hold him,” said Lacey.
Jonathan Roets, a project manager at the company where Luvhimbi worked, said they were in shock. “This is the first time that something like this has happened,” he said.
He said Luvhimbi, along with a colleague, were doing an electricity reconnection when the accident happened. “Our company is subcontracted to the (metro) council and they were called out for an urgent electricity reconnection.
“When we got here we found all Luvhimbi’s safety equipment, including his harness, gloves and helmet in the back of his bakkie.
“I don’t know why he was not wearing them. We drum safety into our employees every day. If they don’t have their safety equipment with them we don’t allow them to go out on jobs.
“Safety is paramount, and Tenda, who was a qualified electrician and had worked with us for eight months, knew this, but I don’t know why he was not wearing his safety equipment. I just don’t know,” he said.
Police said an inquest docket had been opened. - Pretoria News