A 3-story building in Mission Bay was Shane Cahill’s last window washing job of the day. On that Wednesday, September 3, 2008, Cahill started his routine like he did on every job, every day. He took his position on the building’s rooftop deck and started washing the home’s glass windows when suddenly he realized something was very wrong.
"I pulled all my hose over, doing my daily routine… stuck the pole over the glass and all of a sudden I got a super strong grip on the pole and I realized I hit a power line," said Cahill.
An electric shock traveled through his body, destroying the veins in his arms. Cahill, 34, woke up from an induced coma 72 days later at the UCSD Burn Center and was surprised at his condition.
"Waking up to no hands realizing that life's changed. That's probably the worst,” Cahill said.
He has since filed a lawsuit against SDG&E. His attorney, Todd Macalusco believes the position of the power lines is too close to the home where Cahill was working.
"We believe that these lines as they exist do not comply with the general order 95 which require certain clearances from residences and pools such as this deck," Macalusco.
SDG&E released this statement:
“This was a terrible accident and we are deeply sorry to hear about Mr. Cahill's loss. We take seriously our responsibility to safely operate and maintain our power lines - it’s our top priority. It's unfortunate that the plaintiff's lawyer failed to contact us about this incident and listed the wrong address in the complaint he filed with the court. Now that we do know the address, we will begin an immediate investigation to determine what happened.”
Meanwhile Cahill is learning how to move on. "So here I am living. I'm an active guy. I like rock climbing street bike racing-- it's something I'll never be able to do again."
