The accident happened in December last year and Staples said he was lucky to survivesaid the doctors who treated him. Images posted on social media show that the tool he was using partially melted due to the electrical discharge.
However, recently the contractor received an invoice from the local electricity company UK Power Networks charging him R$145,000. (24 thousand pounds). The company says he was responsible for damaging the highvoltage cable, causing a power outage that affected 1,368 customers and took ten hours to restore to normal.
The fence at Staples’ sister’s home had been hit by an outofcontrol vehicle weeks earlier, and because of that, he offered to make the repairs.
As I used my chisel to deepen the hole for the concrete fence post, there was a loud bang, flames and smoke and the deafening hum of electricity. I immediately pulled the circuit breaker lever. They were plastic and I was told that would have saved my life. We had encountered a power grid without any clear signs of it. It wasn’t very deep. You would expect there to be a sign or warning.
Mark Staples, contractor
In communications to Staples, the energy company claims he was “negligent.”because they failed to properly obtain underground network plans or use location scanners.
A spokesman for UK Power Networks said the incident caused damage to the network and that “extensive work” would be necessary to restore it.