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July 31, 2000
X-Files Accident Kills 1, Injures 6
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Workers repair power lines after amember of a television production crew working on an episode of the hit television series The X-Files was electrocuted and six others were injured. |
A member of The
X-Files production crew was electrocuted and six others injured in a freak
accident on the set.
The tragedy occurred Monday when a power line struck a scaffolding,
sending a 4,800-volt charge through the 15-foot-high structure. Jim Engh, one
of six people working on the scaffolding, died of cardiac arrest. The five
others on the structure and one person on the ground were also injured, one
critically.
“It charged the entire scaffolding,” Fire
Department spokesman Jim Wells said.
Wells said it was not clear how the power line came
into contact with the scaffolding, which was set up at the back of a
three-story apartment building in Los Angeles. But officials are already
asking questions.
Deadly
Combination
The scaffolding was set up for a scene, a metal skeleton next to an apartment
complex — and right next to power lines.
It turned into a deadly combination when a worker hit
the lines with a metal pole.
City officials say the film crew had no business
setting up where they did.
“Obviously it was dangerous,” said Mark Hollister
of the city’s Department of Water and Power. “There were 7 injuries, one
of them a fatality. It just goes to show that it’s a dangerous situation
that can be eliminated, can be mitigated if the proper steps are taken.”
Utility crews say they can move power lines if
they’re contacted.
As a result, the accident has already caught the
attention of both the state’s OSHA inspectors and the district attorney’s
office.
“The district attorney’s office has an
environmental crimes investigation unit, and we roll on all incidents where
there is a person injured seriously or there’s a death,” said Tom Simpson,
an investigator with the D.A.’s office.
The investigation will likely center on the
scaffolding, and why it was set up so close to the deadly power lines.
Working
on Season Premiere
The crew was working on the season premiere of The X-Files, the spooky series
about the paranormal produced by 20th Century Fox, said studio spokesman
Steven Melnick.
“All of us are deeply saddened by the tragic loss
of our friend and colleague Jim Engh,” Chris Carter, creator and executive
producer of The X-Files, said in a statement.
“Our hearts go out to his family and friends. He
will be deeply missed by all who have known him and worked with him,” Carter
said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the other crew members who were
injured. We wish them a speedy recovery.”
According to a production notice at the scene, the
crew was preparing for a scene involving dialogue, a foot chase down an
interior rear stairwell and rain effects on rear stair windows.
Filming at the location was to begin Tuesday, Melnick
said. He said he was not sure if the filming would go forward as planned. None
of the actors in the series, which stars Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny,
was present when the accident occurred.
The accident comes just three months after a similar
incident in Los Angeles. ABC-7 reporter Adrienne Alpert suffered severe
injuries when the mast of her live truck hit a power line.
