Broken wire caused irrigation ditch deaths
BLACKFOOT, Idaho (AP) -- A broken ground wire was responsible for an electric charge in a Bingham County irrigation ditch that claimed the life of an Idaho State University assistant track coach and two would-be rescuers.
Chris Jensen with the Idaho Division of Building Safety investigated the Aug. 30 deaths of 31-year-old Jacquelyn Poulson, 41-year-old Lance Hicks and 49-year-old Keith Tarpley.
The sheriff's office said Wednesday the ground wire between a transformer pole and a service pole was broken, which energized the ground wire between the service pole and an irrigation pump.
Officials say Poulson was reported missing when she didn't return from looking for a family dog that also was electrocuted in the irrigation ditch. Hicks and Tarpley died when they entered the water in an effort to rescue Poulson.
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