Worker 'shocked' while servicing power line

GOLD CANYON, AZ - Authorities say a man was critically injured when he was shocked while working on high voltage power lines in the east Valley.

Apache Junction Deputy Fire Chief David Montgomery said fire crews responded to a reported electrocution east of Gold Canyon around noon Friday.

He said crews had difficulty getting to the remote location with no maintained road system.

Montgomery said the 40-year-old male had been treated by fellow Salt River Project workers using an Automated External Defibrillator they carried with them. He said their quick actions kept the victim alive until advanced emergency medical care arrived at the scene.

The victim was air-lifted to Maricopa County Burn Center with life-threatening injuries.

Montgomery said workers told fire crews that the power to the high-voltage lines had been disconnected, but that the lines may have been back-fed from another source that was not disconnected.

The victim was not identified. His current condition is unknown.