Sheriff: Stop hanging hammocks from high-voltage power lines

PLEASANT VIEW, Utah (KUTV) — If that was you who climbed the high-voltage power tower north of Pleasant View and strung up your hammock, the sheriff said don’t do it again.

Seriously.

The Weber County Sheriff’s Office said it seems to be a recurring problem and they are going to be strictly enforcing trespassing laws on the power infrastructure.

“There are 75,000 kilovolts that run through those power lines. It’s an extreme danger – not only the fall risk but also the electricity. The power can actually jump from the lines and strike somebody,” Lt. Cortney Ryan told 2News.

Ryan added that deputies will be conducting additional patrols on ATV to make sure people don’t trespass on the power infrastructure. People who do climb the towers could get slapped with a ticket.

“The last thing we want it is somebody to get hurt, but also damage the infrastructure. That sends power to hundreds of thousands of people. You interrupt that power, then we look at the risk of people not having power,” he said.

Rocky Mountain Power officials said they advise linemen to not get within 20 feet of an active power line. A photo posted by the Weber County Sheriff’s Office showed the person lounging in a hammock within just a few feet of the active conductor on the tower.

Trespassing on power infrastructure has previously claimed lives in Utah.

In 2007, 15-year-old Scott Nye was killed while climbing on a power line tower in Farmington. There is now a memorial at the site with a message to be careful.

The memorial reads:

“On October 12, 2007, we climbed this tower without thinking. We just looked at it as a great way to ‘play’ or do something fun. We didn’t realize it would take away one of us from playing for the rest of this life. We’re not saying taking risks and doing risky things is bad but just think: ‘Will I be able to play tomorrow if I do this?’ If so, go for it. Because life is super lame if you can’t have fun. Main point: please be careful.”