HURLEY MAN SURVIVES ELECTROCUTION WHILE ALLEGEDLY STEALING COPPER WIRE

August 4, 2010
HURLEY MAN SURVIVES ELECTROCUTION WHILE ALLEGEDLY STEALING COPPER WIRE
By Phillip Keene
A Hurley man was hospitalized last week after allegedly attempting to steal copper wire from atop an electric pole. According to Buchanan County Sheriff Ray Foster, the suspect’s injuries, due to electrocution, appeared to be severe.
An emergency 911 call at approximately 7:41 PM last Tuesday, July 27, from a Harman resident reported a man hanging upside down from an AEP power pole. Sheriff Foster responded to the call and found Ervin Hardin, age 52 of 11779 Hurley Rd sitting on a transformer which contained approximately 12,000 volts of electricity.
Hardin complained of his right arm and leg being hurt; Foster said the electrocution injuries had blown a hole in Hardin’s wrist and apparently severely injured his leg. “I thought he would probably lose his hand and maybe his leg too,” said Foster.
AEP workers had to be called in to shut off power to the pole located approximately 3 ½ miles up Bull Creek Road in Harman so that Hardin could be safely rescued.
Hardin was transported to Buchanan General Hospital and later transported by ambulance to Cabell Huntington Hospital Burn Unit in Huntington, West Virginia. Hardin was contacted Monday by phone at the hospital about his injuries. He said that physicians will be evaluating his case again in a few days to determine if he will be required to undergo amputation of his arm and leg. Hardin stated that as of Monday, he had been given a 95% chance that he would lose his arm due to his injuries and a 50% chance of losing his leg.
Hardin was allegedly attempting to steal copper wire from the power pole. An investigation into the matter is ongoing and charges are pending.
So far this year, four people have been killed while attempting to steal copper wire in AEP’s service area. One death occurred in Harrisonburg, VA; two in southern West Virginia and one in Chillicothe, Ohio.
According to an article published earlier this month by the Associated Press, thieves stole about 100 miles of power lines from AEP in 2009. The thefts cost the company approximately $1 million a year.
In an interview last week with the Bluefield Daily Telegraph, AEP spokesman John Shepelwich said that even though copper prices are dropping, the increase of copper thefts as well as the skill of thieves seems to be on the increase in both Virginias. Shepelwich noted that besides being dangerous, thefts increase AEP’s costs which can lead to the company recouping those costs in other ways, such as implementing rate increases in the long-term.
AEP offers rewards of up to $500 for information leading to the arrest of copper thieves.