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Guns don't Kill People...
... lawnmowers kill people. Let this be a reminder to everyone: if someone around you grabs a high-voltage line, they will not be able to let go and you must not touch them with your hands, or anything conductive, otherwise the electricity will get you too. Grab a broom handle, a stick, a (wooden!) bat, a board... anything non-conductive, and use that to push them off instead.
I've gotten popped a few times in my life, but have always been fortunate that the electricity "bounced" me off instead of locking me on. Very dangerous stuff if not handled with care!
Never grab a wire until you've touched it first. Touching a wire will knock you away (unless there's enough current to magnetize you, in which case you're dead and crispy anyhow), grabbing a wire will contract your muscles and keep you from letting go.
Of course, neutral wires might be safe one moment and lethal the next, so don't put too much faith in my advice. Really, it's best to never grab a wire, or anything touching a wire.
Posted by: Tatterdemalian on May 17, 2007 02:02 PM1 - they make handy testing devices to allow you to see if a wire is hot. Most of them have pretty indicator lights or read-outs displaying voltages.
2 - failing this, touching it with something conductive, but insulated to you, would also produce a nice spark, indicating power.
3 - if this fails, grab a redneck and dare him to touch it.
4 - as a last resort and if you absolutely have to touch it (due to the high probability of dying if you don't touch it), touch it with the back of your hand with said hand turned in towards you and your arm almost fully extened. Your body's natural reaction to the current will be to jerk your hand back (due to biceps flexing, IIRC).
But mostly - don't touch live wires.
Posted by: ron on May 17, 2007 03:25 PM