Worker dies after driving into 11,000 volt cable

A MAJOR investigation has been launched after a workman on a farm was killed after driving a tipper truck into an 11,000-volt electric cable.

Driver of the tipper truck died after he tried to leave the vehicle when it struck overhead cables at Humbie Holdings Farm Picture: Neil Hanna

The man – believed to be a 27-year-old Romanian national who had been in the UK for only a matter of days before the incident – was driving the truck at Humbie Holdings Farm, Kirknewton, at around 5:40pm on Wednesday.

It is understood the tipper bed was up when it collided with the high-voltage overhead cable. The driver was said to be initially unhurt, but was killed when he tried to get out of the cab while the tipper was still in contact with the cable.

Police and the Health and Safety Executive have launched a major investigation following the horrific accident – as sources suggested it was “not the first” incident involving power lines at the site.

The yard is used by a construction firm to store piping, concrete blocks, rubble, tyres and plant machinery.

An ambulance was called to the scene immediately after the incident, while police and fire brigade followed shortly after.

ScottishPower engineers isolated the supply to the cables that the tipper crashed into as electricity was still flowing through them when emergency services arrived. The man was found on the ground close to the truck where paramedics worked to save him, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

One resident, who asked not to be named, said: “This is the third time our power has been off after the power lines there have been hit.

“They have been filling in the land using rubble. It is a terrible tragedy.”

A source close to the investigation added: “It appears they have been using rubble from other sites to fill in a gully close to the line. The tipper has struck the line at the low point between two poles that are of different heights. There is evidence on the cables that these have been broken before and had to be repaired.”

The Humbie Holdings yard is neighboured by the Edinburgh Cyrenians Farm Community, a social enterprise which also provides accommodation for vulnerable young people, many of whom have homeless backgrounds.

Ewan Aitken, the charity’s chief executive, said: “I know that they are certainly shaken up. It reminds you of the realities of farm life.”

A Police Scotland spokesman said: “Police in West Lothian were called to Humbie Holdings farm near Kirknewton at around 5:50pm on Wednesday, 3 June, following the sudden death of a 27-year-old man.

“Officers and the Scottish Ambulance Services attended however, despite best efforts of paramedics, the man was pronounced dead at the scene. There are no suspicious circumstances and a report will be sent to the procurator-fiscal.”

An ambulance service spokesman said: “We received a call to an address in the Kirknewton area around 5:45pm. Two ambulances, a paramedic response car, a specialist operations resource team and a manager attended.”