This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A man was taken to an Ogden hospital Thursday in critical condition after he was accidentally shocked by a live wire during a construction accident.
Layton Fire Department spokesman Doug Bitton said the man was spotting about 10 a.m. as construction crews attempted to load a trackhoe onto a truck near Chapel and Gentile streets.
The trackhoe driver had the boom lifted too high and severed the powerline, knocking it to the ground, Bitton said.
The spotter, who was in his 50s, was shocked when the line fell. He was transported to McKay-Dee Hospital, Bitton said.
The fallen wire also sparked a small grassfire, forced the closure of Gentile Street for about 45 minutes and knocked out power to about 150 homes and businesses for about two hours, Bitton said.
He said the trackhoe was being used by a private contractor for work in a new housing subdivision.
— Reporter Bob Mims contributed to this story
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