July 5, 2007
California

Man electrocuted in wind turbine

A shirtless and shoeless man was found deceased inside a wind turbine along the Altamont Pass near Livermore early Wednesday.

It appeared that he was electrocuted by 480 volts of power from one of the electrical component boxes, according to the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department.

Alameda County sheriff’s Sgt. J.D. Nelson said the man did not have any identification and deputies cannot find a car that may have belonged to him. The wind turbine is located about a 3-mile walk from Interstate 580.

Windmill owners and personnel called sheriff’s deputies about 8:30 a.m. after they found the man inside one of the towers, in an area marked high voltage, authorities said.

Shortly after midnight Wednesday, the owner had been alerted when the windmill suddenly lost power. He and other personnel found the man while investigating the power outage, according to the sheriff’s department.

Sheriff’s deputies are working to determine the identity of the man, in his mid- to-late 30s, and the reason he was inside the windmill, Nelson said.

“It’s definitely strange,” he said.

The windmill, at 11701 North Flynn Road, is privately owned and is among thousands of turbines in the Altamont Pass that harness mountain winds to supply electricity to larger companies such as Pacific Gas & Electric.

By Meera Pal
Medianews Staff

The Mercury News

4 July 2007


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2007/07/05/man-electrocuted-in-wind-turbine/