- Location
- Illinois
- Occupation
- retired electrician
5 pedestrians get electric shocks on Chicago's Near Northwest Side
By Jason Meisner |Tribune reporter February 7, 2008
Five people suffered mild electric shocks Wednesday night while walking on a slushy street on Chicago's Near Northwest Side, the third such incident in less than a week.
The victims were crossing the mouth of an alley on Ashland Avenue just north of Division Street at about 8:30 p.m. when they felt a shock and called 911, Chicago Police Officer John Mirabelli said.
Paramedics took the five people to St. Mary of Nazareth Hospital Center, where they were all reported in good condition late Wednesday, Fire Department spokesman Rich Rosado said. He could not provide further information.
Police said the shock may have come from a faulty wire in a utility pole or other street-level apparatus. A Commonwealth Edison crew was also dispatched as a precaution but there was no indication the problem was related to ComEd equipment, company spokesman Jeff Burdick said.
The incident also prompted the Chicago Transit Authority to block the northwest entrance to the nearby Blue Line station as a precaution, spokeswoman Wanda Taylor said. Taylor said the incident did not involve CTA equipment and did not affect train service.
On Friday, two similar incidents occurred within hours of each other, resulting in minor injuries.
Two women walking outside the Sears Tower were shocked when a heated grate used to melt snow apparently malfunctioned, according to police. Later that day several people suffered a similar jolt when they walked past a light pole in the 700 block of North LaSalle Street.
By Jason Meisner |Tribune reporter February 7, 2008
Five people suffered mild electric shocks Wednesday night while walking on a slushy street on Chicago's Near Northwest Side, the third such incident in less than a week.
The victims were crossing the mouth of an alley on Ashland Avenue just north of Division Street at about 8:30 p.m. when they felt a shock and called 911, Chicago Police Officer John Mirabelli said.
Paramedics took the five people to St. Mary of Nazareth Hospital Center, where they were all reported in good condition late Wednesday, Fire Department spokesman Rich Rosado said. He could not provide further information.
Police said the shock may have come from a faulty wire in a utility pole or other street-level apparatus. A Commonwealth Edison crew was also dispatched as a precaution but there was no indication the problem was related to ComEd equipment, company spokesman Jeff Burdick said.
The incident also prompted the Chicago Transit Authority to block the northwest entrance to the nearby Blue Line station as a precaution, spokeswoman Wanda Taylor said. Taylor said the incident did not involve CTA equipment and did not affect train service.
On Friday, two similar incidents occurred within hours of each other, resulting in minor injuries.
Two women walking outside the Sears Tower were shocked when a heated grate used to melt snow apparently malfunctioned, according to police. Later that day several people suffered a similar jolt when they walked past a light pole in the 700 block of North LaSalle Street.
