June 18, 2008

Worker electrocuted at new Dallas Cowboy stadium jobsite

DALLAS

An electrician working at the new Dallas Cowboys stadium died Saturday when he touched a high-voltage line, the second serious accident at the construction site in less than a week.

The man was standing on a ladder performing an electrical test when he touched the power line, said Neal Strasser, a battalion chief with the Arlington Fire Department.

The man became wedged between the ladder and the stadium wall. A co-worker carried him to the ground and tried to revive him, Strasser said.

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Web site identified the man as Timothy Mackinnon, 45, of Arlington. He worked for JMEG Electric, a subcontractor hired by the stadium’s general contractor, Manhattan Construction.

The accident happened around 11 a.m. The fire department received an emergency call at 11:05 a.m. and arrived within five minutes, but revival attempts at the scene were unsuccessful. Mackinnon was pronounced dead at Arlington Memorial Hospital.

In a statement from Manhattan Construction, the company described Mackinnon as a journeyman electrician and said its employees were “deeply saddened.”

The cause of the accident is unknown, but the construction companies are co-operating with investigations being conducted by police and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

The death came two days after a crane accident at the construction site sent three workers to the hospital. Two were treated and released, while the third is still in hospital.

OSHA officials were at the site Saturday at the time of the incident, still investigating the crane accident, Daniels said.

“They were able to immediately start checking things out,” Daniels said. “But the actual cause is still to be determined.”

There have been at least two other accidents at the stadium site that left workers hospitalized.

In August, a crane hook hit a worker in the back. He was sent to the hospital and released the next day.

In January 2007, a stadium worker fell 20 feet through a hole between stadium levels. He was hospitalized in critical condition but recovered and later returned to work.

The more than $1 billion retractable-roof stadium has been under construction for two years and is scheduled to open for the 2009 season and host the 2011 Super Bowl. The 80,000-seat stadium is expected to be the world’s largest column-free room, with retractable panels.

Associated Press

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