IDs released of men killed in drilling accident near Ray Nixon Power Plant
The two men who were killed in a drilling accident last week near the Ray Nixon Power Plant were identified Tuesday.
According to the El Paso County Coroner’s Office, 25-year-old Benjamin Hey and 24-year-old Joseph Sampedro were killed when their drilling truck made contact with an overhead power line.
An official cause of death hasn’t been released, but authorities said last week they believed the two men were electrocuted. A third worker was at the scene but was away from the truck and wasn’t injured.
The men were subcontractors and not direct employees of Colorado Springs Utilities. Photos of the two men weren’t made available.
The incident is still under investigation.
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Authorities confirmed two people have died near the Ray Nixon Power Plant. Another worker was present but has no injuries.
Firefighters were still trying to put the fire out when we arrived, called to the Ray Nixon Power Plant for an industrial fire.
But what they discovered was much worse.
“We had two deceased at least apparently deceased in the back of the vehicle and we had one survivor that was not in the general area,” said Colorado Springs Fire Captain Brian Vaughan.
The burning truck and boom was being operated by subcontractors to sample soil for a gate to the entrance of the plant.
The General Manager of Colorado Springs Utilities, Aram Benyaman, says they were unfortunately working very close to these power lines.
“The rig came in contact with a high voltage line, a 12,500 volt line that was right above the rig that they were working on,” he said.
Investigators from CSPD, OSHA and the Springs Fire Department were on scene all afternoon taking measurements and gathering evidence. But no one could say definitively the men were electrocuted or killed by the fire. An autopsy is scheduled.
Vaughn says this tragedy serves as an important reminder that dealing with electricity, especially high voltage, is dangerous.
“The message to anyone whether you’re playing with the receptical at home, or you’re dealing with high voltage line of work electricity is dangerous and it affects everyone differently,” he said.
In this case, it turned out deadly.
“We are especially saddened to learn that these were such young men, taken much too soon. We understand that a small grass fire resulted from the accident and we thank CSFD, CSPD and the Fountain Police and Fire Departments for their quick response in mitigating additional harm,” the city of Colorado Springs said in a statement.
KRDO is working to get more information.
