WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Officials say a man who kept pigeons was electrocuted when he used a metal pole to remove one of his birds from a power line.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office says 36-year-old Elian Garcia Rivera was in his backyard Saturday afternoon when he spotted one of his pigeons on a power line running above.
They say he got a 20-foot pole and tried to remove the bird, but he touched the power line and was electrocuted.
According to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology , birds can safely sit on wires because they aren’t grounded - so the electricity in the power line stays put. People get electrocuted when they touch a power line because they are on the ground, causing the electricity to flow through them.
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