A 46-year-old San Antonio man, Fermin Ochoa, was electrocuted around 4 p.m. Saturday, June 17, while performing work on fiber optic cables on the 13000 block of Batson Prairie Road, about three miles south of SH 105 in Batson off FM 770.
According to Hardin County Sheriff’s Capt. Mike Custer, the man was a subcontractor for a San Antonio-based company named Light Speed. Custer said the company has been installing fiber optic cables throughout Hardin County in recent weeks.
Ochoa was working in a bucket truck, with another employee on the ground, when he came in contact with overhead power lines. He was incapacitated when he was electrocuted and the other employee used a handheld control of the bucket truck to bring him to the ground.
“It was a really unfortunate accident. The fire department and first responders in Batson, who are volunteers, really did their best to save this man,” Custer said.
Medics with Acadian Ambulance Service responded to the scene and continued life-saving measures by performing CPR on Ochoa. He was airlifted from the scene and flown to HCA Kingwood Hospital.
“I haven’t had it confirmed but it is my understanding that the man later died at the hospital,” Custer said.
The accident is a terrible reminder of the dangers that utility workers deal with on a daily basis. Custer said residents should take heed if they see a downed power line or any type of cable line.
“The electric lines are the top lines on a power pole. A third of the way down you will see another set of lines and those are generally telephone, fiber optic cables or other cables. As far as the public is concerned, everything should be treated as live until it is checked out by experts,” he said.