27.05.2026

And yet another

A man has died after contacting overhead power lines while trimming the branches away that were too close to the lines in Wauconda, on the north side of Chicago.

The man, 67, was working from a ladder on or near his property at a height of around four to five metres, on Saturday, when a branch came in contact with the live power line and ran through him to earth.

Lake County Sheriff and the Wauconda Fire District were called to the scene, following the report of a downed power line and an ‘unresponsive person’. When they arrived, the power lines were still arcing in the trees. And as is usually the case, they had to wait until the power was fully cut off before they could reach the man. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Lake County sheriff's and coroner's offices launched an investigation on Monday.

In case any of you have not read and digested it, here is a link to the IPAF advice and good practice guide. Just click here to go directly to the page – once there you can select your preferred language – so no excuse.