OAKLAND, Calif. (KCBS) -- A construction worker was hospitalized with burns Wednesday after his equipment struck underground electric line near 19th Street and Franklin Street in downtown Oakland.
Two workers were excavating in front of 1950 Franklin Street to rehabilitate a sewer line when they struck a charged electrical line feeding into a building near that location, said Oakland Fire Lt. David Brue.
That sparked an underground explosion. One worker suffered electrical burns primarily to his thighs. Brue said his injuries were not life-threatening, and he is being treated at Saint Francis Hospital in San Francisco. The other worker in the trench was not injured.
Power in the area was not affected by the accident first reported at 8:59 a.m., according to a spokesman for Pacific Gas & Electric.
Brue said fire officials are trying to determine exactly how the contractors’ equipment struck the PG&E line. A PG&E spokesman said the pipes were properly marked and investigators are trying to determine if the proper tools were being used to dig so closely to a line.
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