How many of us have seen these types accidents that did NOT result in the death of a child? Fence installers never want to call anyone when they see a cable they've hit.
BALTIMORE (AP) - A "perfect storm scenario" led to the electrocution death Friday of a 14-year-old girl who was playing softball at a Baltimore park, an official said Wednesday.
Deanna Green of Randallstown was electrocuted after she touched two fences during a church league softball game in Druid Hill Park.
"We've determined how this happened," city parks Director Connie A. Brown said Wednesday. The exposed tip of a metal fence post came in contact with an underground electrical cable, and the girl touched a second metal fence, completing a deadly circuit, Brown said, adding that other park visitors might have also touched the same electrified fence and not been hurt.
Green was killed because she touched both fences at the same time, allowing a large amount of electrical current to flow through her body.
He said the electrified fence was constructed at least 20 years ago to protect players from foul balls. The fence was put up by a contractor who did not encase at least one of the poles anchoring it to the ground in concrete, Brown said.
Over the years, the tip of the exposed pole came in contact with the underground cable and the fence became electrified when insulation covering the cable wore away, Brown said.
"At that point, the pole became electrified," he said.
The name of the contractor who performed the work is not known, Brown said, explaining that the job was not performed by city employees.
Officials may inspect all metal fences at city parks to see if there are electrical cables or wires underneath them, Brown said. The field where the incident occurred will remain closed.
"I don't know whose fault it is," Anthony Green said. "All I know is that my daughter is not here because of a fence that had an electric current running through it, which by no means, should not have happened."
Green, a student at the Carver School of Arts and Technology, hoped to pursue a career as a singer and had taken singing lessons since she was six years old, her parents told The (Baltimore) Sun.
Her mother, Nancy Green, was at the game Friday to watch Deanna play.
When she was electrocuted, Nancy Green jumped to help, catching Deanna in her arms before she hit the ground. An ambulance took the teenager to Sinai Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Anthony Green said, "We're at peace. ... She came into this world in her mother's arms and left that way. What better way to close the chapter."
Information from: The (Baltimore) Sun
