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Team coverageOne man was electrocuted and another is in serious condition this afternoon after an accident on a power pole. The worker who survived the shock is at the University of Utah Medical Center.
Twenty-eight-year-old Fatu Matagi, of Salt Lake, is being treated for extensive burns on his legs and arms. Unfortunately, 26-year-old Stephen Vlamakis, from Helper, died on the scene.
Just before noon, dispatchers received two calls from a passerby and a worker who noticed the men dangling from the utility pole. Unified Fire Authority (UFA) and the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Department responded to the scene near 4100 South 1400 East. They arrived within minutes, but Vlamakis was already dead.
Crews organized the necessary equipment and ensured rescue workers' safety before bringing the victims down 45 minutes later.
Fire investigators still don't know how it happened. Jay Fearnley, with UFA, said, "It's unclear what happened, whether they came in contact with the transformer or whether they came in contact with some of the wires."
Neighbor Brit Yenchik said, "All the sudden we hear a real loud boom, and I knew immediately that something happened."
Another neighbor, Pat Carrillo, said, "The man on the bottom, he didn't move at all. And the gentleman who was just above him, he was upside-down, and his arms were moving back and forth. You could hear him moaning, and he was trying to unharness himself, but he couldn't do it."
Detectives believe Vlamakis was probably killed instantly. Matagi was going in and out of consciousness when he was transported.
This afternoon, Rocky Mountain Power issued a statement that reads in part: "Rocky Mountain Power is saddened to learn of this electrical contact incident today. The involved individuals were contractors hired to perform scheduled maintenance work for the company."
Rocky Mountain would not talk to us on camera and couldn't tell us what subcontractor the men worked for. OSHA will be investigating this incident.
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