Saginaw County, MI (WJRT) — A Saginaw County man was killed while trying to reconnect power to his Fremont Township home.
The Saginaw County Sheriff’s Office reports a call came into 911 shortly after 9 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 22.
They learned the 54-year-old man had climbed a metal ladder trying to reach the electrical equipment atop a pole in the 13,000 block of Spencer Road, southeast of Hemlock.
“He had a PVC pipe that he was trying to flip a switch with, or trying to manipulate something to get himself power back to his residence,” said Lt. Mike Gomez with the Saginaw County Sheriff’s Office.
The man then fell around 40 feet to the ground.
Autopsy results will reveal his exact cause of death.
The sheriff’s office reports the man’s power had been turned off, but it’s unclear what lead up to it.
We reached out to Consumers Energy and a spokesman wasn’t able to comment on the reason at this time.
But the utility company provided this statement:
“Consumers Energy confirms that a tragic death occurred while an individual was attempting to reconnect electric service to a residence in Hemlock on Saturday, December 22. The energy provider reminds everyone that it is both very dangerous and illegal to tamper with their electrical equipment. Our hearts and sympathies go out to the deceased’s family, friends and neighbors, and it is our hope this very sad incident can help prevent future tragedies.”
Both Consumers Energy and the sheriff’s office wants to remind people there is help available for people struggling to keep the power on.
Contact Consumers directly or dial 211. The community resource line can connect people with programs and services to help.
Both entities also wanted to stress the danger of trying to take matters into your own hands.
“This is a glaring example of why we have to stay away from power lines, we have to stay away from downed power lines and there’s a reason that Consumers has the safety equipment that they do, they use when they go out and deal with electricity,” Gomez said.
