photo by Ben Hillyer

Emergency personnel from the Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office, Concordia Fire District No. 2 and Metro Ambulance carefully lower Jimmy Owens from the roof of a trailer after Owens was shocked from contact with power lines on East Road Monday.

Electrical shock sends two to hospital

By Julie Cooper (Contact) | The Natchez Democrat

Published Tuesday, December 8, 2009

VIDALIA — Two Natchitoches, La., men were shocked by an electrical power line on East Road in Concordia Parish Monday afternoon.

The accident occurred at approximately 1:30 p.m. when Perritt Mobile Home company of Natchitoches was attempting to move a mobile home to an open lot at the end of the street.

The mobile home, being pulled by an 18-wheeler, was attempting to cross under a set of power lines at a bend in the road.

Perritt employee Jimmy Owens was on top of the mobile home, standing on a ladder, trying to lift the lower cable line when his shoulder bumped into an electrical line, co-worker Frank Powell said.

“He just slumped over the ladder,” Powell said. “He was unconscious for a few minutes.”

Another Perritt worker, Elmer Berry, was holding the ladder Owens was standing on, Powell said.

Berry received a shock as well, but didn’t appear to be as severely injured, Powell said. Both injured men were alert and moving at the scene, officials on scene said.

Emergency personnel at the scene attended to the injured men for several minutes before loading them into an ambulance and transporting to an area hospital.

Concordia Fire District No. 2, Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office, Entergy and Metro Ambulance Service personnel all responded to the scene.