LIVINGSTON — Authorities say a bow hunter suffered serious injuries from an electric shock when he poked a dead bear lying on live wires.

The Park County Sheriff's Office said in a statement Monday that Edward Garcia came across the bear carcass Sunday in the Beattie Gulch area north of Gardiner.

Garcia was shocked when he poked the carcass with a knife, suffering injuries to his torso, head and hands.

The sheriff's office says Garcia walked two miles to find help. He was flown to a burn center in Salt Lake City.

Garcia's condition was not immediately clear on Monday. Sheriff's Office Lt. Tom Totland said that he does not know where Garcia is from.

The sheriff's office says NorthWestern Energy has turned off power to the line.

My guess is that the line fell and the bear was killed by it. Strange turn of events.

quote:

Originally posted by Brice:
My guess is that the line fell and the bear was killed by it. Strange turn of events.

Thats damm funny

Thats why I poke dead things with wood sticks, exactly for that reason, wood doesent conduct electricity well.

Next time I bet he pokes dead things with sticks or rubber tires.

Don't go pokin things, you just could get all burned-up.

Cureosity killed the cat.

That guy must have wanted a bear skin rug really bad!

Yes but on the puls side the guy now has the anecdote to beat all anecdote around the camp fire!

Ought he have noticed the power line?

He must have been really stupid or else trying for the Darwin award. There has to be more to the story.

A distribution line carries, at a minimum, 7200 volts (phase to ground). At that voltage there would have been unmistakable sight, sound and smell clues that the bear carcass was "hot." Who in their right mind would stick a knife in a smoking, buzzing bruin? For that matter, what kind of idiot would just walk up and stick a knife into any critter that they come across? Before touching any carcass I'd like to at least have an idea of what killed it and when.

I heard via the grapevine that the bear had crawled into an underground primary vault and was electrocuted,possibly chewing on the cable, and with half it's body hanging out of the underground vault, which is what the hunter poked with the knife. The voltage was reported as 7200, which would be phase to ground.