The United Illuminating Company

On Saturday, January 1, 2022, an employee was injured after being struck by the butt end of a utility pole that was being lifted from a pile of poles in the yard. The employee had climbed up onto a pile of poles in order to set the tongs from the derrick onto a pole for picking. The employee set the tongs in the approximate middle of the pole for weight balance and came down off of the pile. The derrick operator lifted the pole slightly and found it not balanced. The employee then went back onto the pile to adjust the tongs. He then came down off the pile again. At this time, the pole was jarred or came loose from the pile and struck him while he was the ground. He sustained six broken ribs and a punctured lung.