Man shocked after climbing into EPE substation transferred to Lubbock Burn Center

A man is in the hospital after he was shocked as he tried to access an El Paso Electric substation, utility officials confirmed Friday.

A woman who lives nearby said she heard two loud explosions, then a man screaming. “Help! Help!” Mary Loveridge said she heard from her home.

The woman said she flagged down an ambulance that was looking for the injured person and paramedics and officers tended to the man.

“I give credit to the police. They did a fantastic job with him,” Loveridge said. “They were very calm and tried to calm him down but the poor guy was in a lot of pain, you could tell, because even from my yard I could hear him screaming.”

“I pray for him that he might make it,” she said.

The incident caused a shortage at the substation near Montana and Trowbridge around 6:45 a.m. that led to 2,085 customers without power. Service was restored around 8 a.m., a utility spokesman said.

Police are working to identify the man, transferred to University Medical Center, and later the Lubbock Burn Center, for treatment.

“EPE is working with the proper authorities to assist in the investigation,” Spokesman George De La Torre said in a statement.

El Paso Electric sent ABC-7 the following statement:

” El Paso Electric maintains all of its equipment in a safe manner and in compliance with all applicable standards including the National Electrical Safety Code (NESC).

NESC standards require such facilities to be enclosed by fencing at least 7 feet high, with locked gates and a safety sign displayed at each entrance. The facility in question was kept locked and the fencing surrounding it was approximately 7-8 feet in height including three strands of outward facing barbed wire for additional protection. Signage warning of the hazard was posted throughout the area in both English and Spanish.

It is extremely important for everyone to heed warning signs and stay away from substations and other electrical equipment.”