Grand Haven Tribune
CROCKERY TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A Crockery Township man died and two firefighters responding to his aid were injured — one seriously — in an incident shortly before 6 p.m. Monday in the 11800 block of Apple Drive.
Emergency crews were called at about 5:45 p.m. when the 43-year-old man’s wife arrived home from work and found her husband unresponsive in the yard, Capt. John Wolffis of the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Department said.
It appeared that the man had been operating a lift vehicle, raised the arm of the vehicle and hit a primary power line, Wolffis said.
It was unknown how long he had been down, as his wife said he had stayed home that day to work on the house.
Five Crockery Township firefighters arrived within five minutes of the call for help, went immediately to the injured man, hooked up an AED and started patient care, Wolffis said.
One firefighter repositioned himself and received a shock from the nearby lift vehicle. The shock threw him against another firefighter, who also suffered a slight shock.
Wolffis said that one of the firefighters had an older AED unit in his car, which was used to bring a pulse back on the firefighter who went into cardiac arrest after being shocked.
“The last report was that he was talking at the hospital,” Woffis said.
The 38-year-old firefighter has been with the department for four years.
The second firefighter, 49, a 30-year veteran with the department, continued to work on the original victim and sought his own treatment.
Police declined to release any of the victim’s names at the scene.
Consumers Energy workers responded to the scene and turned off the power and moved the lift away from the power lines. They were able to then restore power, said Wolffis.
The officer said it was a miracle that the wife didn’t get shocked, considering she touched the vehicle in an attempt to shut it off.
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