Student Electrocuted as Result of Dare
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A student at Mesa Community College was electrocuted late Friday when he brushed against a high-voltage line on an electricity transmission tower he was climbing as a result of a dare between friends, police said.
The dead man was identified by the coroner’s office as James Cole, 20, of San Diego. The accident occurred in an open area about 100 yards west of the 4200 block of Calle de Vida in San Diego’s Tierrasanta neighborhood.
According to the coroner’s office, Cole, an experienced mountain climber, and companions Greg Sewell and John McCarthy were at the base of a San Diego Gas & Electric Co. tower at about 11 p.m. when they dared each other to climb it.
Cole had reached the top and was on his way down when he touched a 138,000-volt line about 40 feet from the ground. Both Sewell and McCarthy made it safely back down and summoned authorities.
SDG&E; crews removed Cole’s body from the crossbar it had landed on.
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