Castleton man critically burned in work accident
Toolbox
By Gordon Dritschilo STAFF WRITER - Published: July 3, 2009
A Castleton man is in a New York hospital following a work-site accident last week.
Police in East Greenbush, N.Y., said that 57-year-old James Bruno suffered burns from an electrical discharge June 26. He was taken first to Albany Medical Center and then to the Westchester Hospital in Valhalla, N.Y., where he remained in the burn unit Thursday.
Westchester Hospital spokesman David Billig described Bruno's condition as "critical" and said he was unable to release any other information.
"He's doing … not that great," said Stephanie Barker, Bruno's sister. "He is heavily sedated. He has burns over 45 percent of his body. … It's still a waiting game. They refer to him as 'the Bull.' He's a fighter. He's a strong guy."
East Greenbush Police Chief Christopher Lavin said Bruno was working for the Michaels Group, a Wisconsin-based contractor that installs high-tension, long-distance power lines.
"He was standing next to a crane underneath live, high-tension wires," he said. "The crane, for all intents and purposes, acted as a lightning rod, drawing an arc from the high-tension wires."
Lavin said the energy went into the ground and burned Bruno from his feet up. He said Bruno was not touching the crane and he did not think the crane was touching the wires. Lavin said the incident took place during an electrical storm.
"There's some speculation, at least on my part, that the high-tension wires might have been struck by lightning, perhaps miles away from the site," he said. "That's not uncommon."
In such a case, Lavin said the lightning would travel along the lines until it found a ground. The lines have safety features, he said, but the lightning could have reached the crane before finding a proper lightning rod.
"Witnesses all reported seeing a bright flash, which would be an arc of energy across the distance between the high-tension lines and the tip of the boom," he said.
The police report in the incident describes Bruno catching fire and other employees using fire extinguishers to put out his burning clothing.
Barker said Bruno's wife and son are with him.
"He's stable, is what they said last," she said. "He's got a long road ahead of him, I know that. … We're all praying for him every day."
gordon.dritschilo@rutlandherald.com
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