Fingerprints ID Man Critically Injured In Transmission Tower Fall

SONOMA COUNTY, CA -- A man who suffered life-threatening injuries Tuesday when witnesses say he was electrocuted and fell off a 100-foot tall PG&E transmission tower he was climbing in Santa Rosa has been identified by police, however, they are withholding his identity until his family has been notified, police said Thursday.

The man was identified through fingerprints, which were obtained by the University of California at Davis Police Department. On Wednesday, police had asked for the public's help to identify the man, who was only described as being a Latino man believed to be in his mid to late 20s, small in stature and with black hair.

Thursday evening, Santa Rosa police Sgt. Jeneane Kucker confirmed that UC Davis police had determined the man's identity.

"His condition is life-threatening," Kucker told Patch just before 7 p.m. Thursday.

Witnesses said the man was about 80 feet up the tower near 56 W. Sixth St. when he was electrocuted and fell, landing on dry grass, according to Assistant Santa Rosa Fire Marshal Paul Lowenthal. The dry grass then caught fire, Lowenthal said. Prior to the fire department's arrival, witnesses had pulled the man from the burning grass and used fire extinguishers to stop the fire.

The man was initially taken to a trauma center in Sonoma County but was airlifted to UC Davis Medical Center Tuesday because of the combination of injuries he suffered, Lowenthal said.

Authorities with PG&E and Santa Rosa police and fire are investigating the incident as unauthorized entry, Lowenthal told Patch. Following a similar incident in March, warning signs and barriers have been in place at the high-voltage tower, he said.

The incident caused about 2,200 people to briefly lose power.

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• Man Climbing Transmission Tower Electrocuted, Critically Injured
• Police Seek Identity Of Man Who Fell From Transmission Tower

Bay City News Service contributed to this report.

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