A V.I. Water and Power Authority lineman was struck by electrical current and suffered burns during fieldwork on St. Thomas on Friday afternoon, the utility said Saturday.
The incident took place between noon and 3 p.m. on November 6. WAPA Director of Corporate Communications Shanell Spencer confirmed the employee was alert and under medical supervision, though the precise location and full scope of the injuries had not been determined at that time.
Spencer made clear the injury was not fatal. "No, electrocution means that somebody died," she said. "So you would call it a shock and burn. He was shocked."
WAPA has not released the worker's name, details of the burns, or what triggered the electrical incident. Spencer said the utility was still gathering details on injury severity and could not yet say whether the lineman would need to be transported off-island for further medical care.
Chief Executive Officer Karl Knight said in WAPA's initial Friday statement: "We want every one of them to return home safely to their families at the end of the day."
The utility intends to investigate the circumstances of the accident. Spencer described WAPA's safety division as responsible for overseeing work sites, inspecting protective gear and verifying that teams adhere to required safety protocols. She noted that linemen receive training in procedures for rescuing injured colleagues on power lines and bringing them safely to the ground.
Spencer did not identify which emergency measures were deployed after the Friday incident or whether additional medical responders attended the scene.
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