Casa Grande, AZ Power Line Accident, Aug 1962

POWER LINE ACCIDENT KILLS ONE.

Casa Grande, Arizona -- (AP) -- One man was killed Monday and another suffered serious injury when a piece of sheet metal they were handling became charged with approximately 115,000 volts of electricity.
OLIN BRADFORD BRITT, 23, of Queen Creek was electrocuted outside the Sunset Gin on the Casa Grande Highway and Thornton Road. A co-worker, HUGH MATHIS, of Chandler, was seriously injured an taken to Hoemako Hospital.
Sheriff's deputy Tom Mathis (no relative to Hugh), who investigated the accident, said BRITT and MATHIS had apparently been guiding the movement of a large piece of sheet metal as it was being transported on a cable suspended from a boom-truck.
The truck, driven by Billy Witt, also of Queen Creek, backed under heavy power-lines and the cable came in contact with them. Dep. Mathis said the cable and piece of sheet metal attached to it had been charged with an estimated 115,000 volts of electricity for about 15 seconds until the power automatically cut off.
Most of the downtown and outlying area of Casa Grande was without power for about 20 minutes, shortly after 8 a.m.
George Pickerel, Casa Grande Justice of the Peace, swore in a coroner's jury at the scene. He said he would call an inquest later.
BRITT'S body was taken to Bueler Mortuary in Chandler. Both he and MATHIS were said to have been employed by the Mission Sheet Metal Co. of Chandler when the accident occurred.
Members of the coroner's jury were: Cleo Wallace, Vernie Jackson, Jr., Babe Forbach, Bill White, Lyle H. Hill and Alfred D. Abernathy, all of Casa Grande.
MATHIS was transferred this morning to the Chandler General Hospital, his condition "greatly improved."
Funeral services for BRITT will be held at the Bueler Mortuary tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. Burial will be in Mesa, Ariz.
BRITT is survived by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ollie Britt of Queens Creek; and four sisters; Ole and Mrs. Jay W. Jagebein of Queens Creek; Mrs. L. S. Green of Larksburg, Ark.; and Mrs. Opal Turner of Dallas, Tex.

Casa Grande Dispatch Arizona 1962-08-15
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Researched and Transcribed by Stu Beitler. Thank you, Stu!