A 30-year-old man sustained critical injuries after being electrocuted while reportedly trespassing on the grounds of a Southern California hospital on Sunday, authorities said. The incident occurred at 18324 W. Cantara Street, on the property of Northridge Hospital, and was responded to by the Los Angeles Fire Department shortly after 5 p.m., according to KTLA.
The man, whose identity has not been disclosed, was found to have significant burns on approximately half of his body, the result of an encounter with an electrical vault located on top of a generator—the situation appears to have been exacerbated for the fire crews arrived to find the man critically injured and a scene that necessitated immediate attention, with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power arriving later to conduct repairs in the area where the man was found. The Los Angeles Fire Department stated that his condition was critical upon being transported to a nearby hospital, which may or may not have been the same hospital where the incident took place, as reported in an LAFD alert.
It remains unclear what led the man to come into contact with the hazardous electrical equipment, and the extent of the damage to the hospital’s infrastructure, if any, has not been reported. Additionally, there has been no indication from officials on whether the hospital's operations were impacted or whether there was any damage to the high-voltage equipment.
As of now, details concerning the circumstances of the man's presence near the electrical equipment remain scarce, and the authorities have yet to disclose whether the individual will be facing charges once he recovers with the investigation ongoing.
