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Fritz Holly ReportingA man was rescued from a backhoe surrounded by live power lines at about 11:30 this morning.
It started when the man drove the backhoe through a construction zone and clipped a power line. He noticed the problem and tried to back up, but that just made the situation worse.
The accident happened at a construction zone on 200 East between 300 and 400 South. There was a power line lying across 200 East. The wires were brought down on top of the equipment.
An emergency crew came to extricate the driver from the piece of equipment. During that time they were very aware of the current that was going through the pole and power lines.
The power line has been cleared, however 200 East is still closed. It had been partially closed anyway due to the construction going on in that area, but they have now closed the one lane that was being used for both north and southbound traffic. The road will stay closed while utility crews determine how to get the poles and wires back in operation.
The driver of the backhoe is going to be okay.
Rocky Mountain Power said that there are about 400 people who are without power.
