Citation

McLoughlin E, Joseph MP, Crawford JD. J. Pediatr. 1976; 89(1): 62-65.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1976, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

932905

Abstract

Twenty-seven acute high-tension electrical injuries were seen in seven years at the Shriners Burns Institute. All were in boys 7 to 16 years old; 13 suffered amputation(s) and 2 died. Most accidents occurred when boys climbed utility poles (9), trespassed, generally around transformer substations (9), or contacted power lines when tree climbing (5). All occurred in daylight, generally between 4 and 6 PM, on weekends in warm weather with boys in groups. Preventive education directed to this high-risk population should illustrate properties of high-voltage electricity, effects on the body, and how to cope with peer pressures in unstructured time.