Electrician dies after being electrocuted at Whiteface

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August 26, 2008

<a href="mailto:avanvalkenburg@pressrepublican.com">By ANDREA VanVALKENBURG</a> The Press Republican Tue Aug 26, 2008, 05:16 PM EDT

WILMINGTON — An out-of-town electrician was killed Tuesday morning when he accidentally touched a high-voltage transformer at Whiteface Mountain.

Ray Brook-based State Police said William J. Cowie, 44, of Stark, N.H., was inspecting a transformer when he was suddenly jolted by a surge of electricity around 7 a.m.

Olympic Regional Development Authority Director of Communications Sandy Caligiore said Cowie had arrived to the mountain before his coworkers and was working on a transformer at Kids Kampus when he “absorbed a very heavy charge” of electricity.

Caligiore said no one was around when the accident happened and that Cowie’s coworkers from Transformer Services Inc. found him dead when they arrived to the area.

“We’re shocked by what happened early this morning,” Caligiore said Tuesday afternoon.

“This wasn’t something we ever thought was feasible or could happen. It was very, very sad. There are just a lot of pale blank faces among the people up at Whiteface.

“Our condolences are with his family and coworkers back in New Hampshire.”

Caligiore said the Concord, N.H.-based company was recently contracted to conduct an annual inspection of the mountain’s transformers.

Those inspections were temporarily halted after the accident, and Caligiore said officials cut off power to the transformer Cowie was working on.

He said that transformer, which supplies power to the triple chair and maintenance area, will remain off until it can be further evaluated.

State Police said an autopsy at Adirondack Medical Center in Saranac Lake found that Cowie died of cardiac arrest due to electrocution.

Essex County Coroner Walter S. Marvin has ruled his death accidental.

State Police and officials with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are continuing to investigate Cowie’s death.

E-mail Andrea VanValkenburg at:

avanvalkenburg@pressrepublican.com