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Two trustee-inmates electrocuted during flag raising incident

The two inmates who were electrocuted last week following an accident at the Tafuna West Substation were released from the LBJ hospital Surgical Clinic after a 24-hour observation by physicians.

 

Commissioner of Public Safety, William Haleck told Samoa News that the inmates, whose names cannot be released, are in good condition after the “accident”.

 

Responding to Samoa News queries, the Commissioner explained that the men involved in this accident are inmates, who are trustees assigned to the Tafuna West Substation to assist in areas where help is needed.

 

Haleck said these trustees were assisting the police officers in raising the flag, when the pole fell on the electrical wire, which resulted in electrocuting the two trustee-inmates.

 

“The trustees were helping to raise the flag and they were not careful in doing so, as a result the pole fell on the electrical wire. It was an accident,” said Haleck.

 

Several calls to Samoa News had witnesses, who wished to stay anonymous, say that the inmates were not accompanied by police officers and were raising the flags by themselves.

 

Samoa News understands there was a power outage in the Tafuna area for close to two hours as a result of the accident.

 

The Commissioner told Samoa News that the inmates were taken to the LBJ hospital, where they were kept overnight for observation. They have been released from the hospital and are doing fine according to the Commissioner, who also said that DPS will take precautionary action to ensure that this incident will not be repeated.