Man Electrocuted Trying to Restore Power
July 5, 2003

GEORGETOWN TOWNSHIP -- A man is dead after a tragic accident on the 4th of July. John Clay worked in construction, his friends say he could fix or build almost anything. So seeing Clay die during a fix-it project was a complete surprise. Storms knocked out power to the area during the holiday, so 58-year-old Clay and his friend, Roger Lucas, had a plan to re-trip the circuit breaker. They used a Hi-lo to work on the breaker box, 30 feet in the air. Clay used a metal rod to knock it into place, the shock shot him all the way to the ground. "He touched the wood and the breaker at the same time," said friend Billy Schneider. "The wood acted as a conductor and it grounded him as he was electrocuted." Schneider attempted CPR, but it was no use. Clay was later pronounced dead on scene by paramedics. Friends say Clay had confidence to do anything. He figured they could fix the problem beforde the power company. "John had displayed to everyone who had known him that he was basically capable of almost anything," said Schneider. Clay was from Switzerland. He had a reunion planned with his family whom he had not seen in decades. They were notified of the news on the fourth.