Man dies after he got electrocuted while climbing electric post in Minglanilla

Jorlie Lecciones was able to climb to the top of the electric post but got himself electrocuted when he touched a live wire there and then fell from there.| Photo courtesy of Langlang Kokoy Waskin

MANDAUE CITY, Cebu — A 52-year-old man died after he got electrocuted while climbing to the top of an electric post in Barangay Tulay in the town of Minglanilla in southern Cebu at past 8 a.m. on Thursday, August 19, 2021.

Police Major William Homoc, chief of the Minglanilla Police Station, identified the victim as Jorlie Lecciones, who was a resident of Barangay Tambongon in the town of San Remigio in northern Cebu.

According to initial investigation, residents saw Lecciones, who seemed not in his right frame of mind or was troubled, climb on top of a pile of tires at the foot of the electric post and managed to climb to the top of the post stepping on some electric wires to get to the beam at the top of the post. 

A few minutes later, there was an explosion as Lecciones touched a live wire, got electrocuted, and he fell from the top of the post.

Later police learned from Lecciones’ wife, who went to the police station, that the victim was reportedly having a problem at home.

For his part, Langlang Kokoy Waskin, traffic investigation officer of Minglanilla Traffic Commission (MITCOM), said that when he arrived in the area, witnesses told him that they did not know the victim.

“Pagpangutana nako didto wala’y nakaila sa biktima. Ug ilang nakita nga galatay-latay sa kuryente hangtud nakakupot og live wire mibuto natagak,” said Waskin.

(I have asked residents there and they told me that they did not know the victim. They only saw him climbing the post stepping on electric wires to climb up until eventually he reached the beam at the top and touched a live wire, an explosion then happened and he fell from there.)

Waskin said that residents suspected that Lecciones might have a big problem, saying that he was talking on his mobile phone before he climbed the electric post.

“Nagduda sila naa’y lawom nga problema pero wala gyud nakaila sa lugar. Ilahang gibadlong Wala gyud magpatoo. Naa daw ka-istorya sa phone una misaka,” he said.

(They suspected that he has a big problem but nobody knows him in the area. They called his attention not to climb the post but he did not listen to them. He was speaking to the cellphone before he climbed the electric post.)

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