Teen electrocuted after touching downed power line she mistook for stick, MI cops say

A 14-year-old girl was electrocuted on Monday, Aug. 29, after touching a downed power line in her backyard, Michigan cops say.

The incident happened in Monroe, a town about 40 miles southwest of Detroit that had severe thunderstorms Monday.

The Monroe Public Safety Department said the girl “was still in contact with the energized electrical line” when they arrived at the home. The power line had fallen during the thunderstorm.

When energy crews disconnected the power line to render aid to the girl, first responders said it was “obvious” she had died from her injuries.

As detectives investigated the incident, they learned the girl and a friend were walking in the backyard and they thought they smelled a bonfire, officials said.

“The victim reached for what she believed was a stick, however, it was the charged electrical line,” officials said. “The family of the victim were on scene as this incident occurred.”

The public safety department has not released the identity of the girl who was killed.

Monday’s storms caused more than 380,000 homes to be without power early Tuesday, according to the Detroit News. The thunderstorms included 74 mph winds and knocked down power lines and trees, the publication reported.

The storms also moved into Ohio, where a woman in Toledo was killed when a tree fell on top of her, WTOL reported.

This story was originally published August 30, 2022 at 11:09 AM with the headline "Teen electrocuted after touching downed power line she mistook for stick, MI cops say."