Home Science Experiment 
2003 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance
Home Science Experiment Kills Portland Teen
February 25, 2002, 06:15 PM By Abe Estimada, kgw.com Staff
An 18-year-old student at Milwaukie High School student died at his home during an experiment involving the purported electrical currents generated by plants and trees.
Xia He was electrocuted at his southeast Portland home, and his father, Yuanhuai He, 50, was slightly injured when the two were conducting experiments with home-made metallic probes and electrical sensors, said Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office officials.
The equipment made contact with a 7,200-volt power line next to the house. The current passed through Yuanhuai He, who was standing on the ladder, and onto Xia He, who was standing on wet soil beneath the power pole. Xia He was also holding some of the equipment.
Yuanhuai He told authorities that in China, the top wire of power poles is a ground wire. What he didn’t know was that in the United States, the top wire is the main power supply.
Submitted on 03/02/02
Submitted by:
Anonymous
Reference:
02/25/02 Abe Estimada, kgw.com
Copyright © 2002 DarwinAwards.com
|
