Worker rescued in Toronto after truck’s cherry picker touches live streetcar wire
Posted February 17, 2015 6:54 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
It was a close call for a construction worker on Tuesday morning at Victoria and Dundas streets, just across the street from CityNews.
A man was inside a truck’s cherry picker when it struck live streetcar wires around 5:10 a.m., sparking a massive flash.
The worker had to crouch inside the scorched bucket to keep away from the wires, waiting to be rescued.
Security camera footage from the CityNews building shows the flash and sparks that flew after the bucket touched the live lines, which have 600 volts DC (direct current) running through them.
People on the sidewalk could be seen jumping away as the area lit up.
Firefighters and paramedics rushed to the scene, but they had to wait to approach the worker as the TTC’s overhead unit worked to shut down power to the area so that the man could be rescued safely.
The worker was taken away in an ambulance and is expected to be OK.
