[STELLENBOSCH, WC, 24 July 2012, 11:00]
A 43 year old man was fortunate to survive a serious incident this afternoon after he grabbed onto a high voltage cable in Stellenbosch.
The events leading up to the incident is unclear at this stage, but the man had climbed a pole for unknown reasons. As he was climbing the pole he grabbed onto a high voltage cable. The jolt of electricity caused the man to fall approximately 15 meters down to the ground.
When ER24 paramedics arrived at the scene they found the man on the ground and in severe pain. The patient had sustained 1st degree burns to his right hand as well as multiple injuries to his right arm and a broken nose.
With the help of paramedics from the WCG Health: EMS the man was stabilised at the scene before being rapidly transported to the Stellenbosch provincial hospital for further care. The incident will be investigated by the appropriate authority.
Andre Visser, ER24