Tractor driver, 32, dies when he crashes into electricity ‘pylon’ on farm and knocks out power to 2,000 homes
- Tractor driver, 32, is believed to have collided with a electricity ‘pylon’
- Emergency services were called to the old Killingholme airfield, Humberside where the man was found to have died
- Northern Powergrid announced the incident left 2,000 homes without power
A man has died after his tractor crashed into an electrical ‘pylon’, causing thousands of homes to lose power.
The 32-year-old, who has not yet been named, is believed to have hit the powergrid infrastructure while driving on farmland.
Emergency services were called to an area of the former Killingholme airfield, near Grimsby, at about 2.30pm on Thursday.
A 32-year-old man, who has not yet been named, has died after his tractor hit powergrid infrastructure while driving on farmland on the former Killingholme airfield, near Grimsby (stock photo)
The driver was found to have died from injuries sustained in the crash, but is not believed to have come into contact with any live power cables.
An investigation is underway involving Humberside Police, the Health and Safety Executive and Northern Powergrid.
The local community in North Killingholme have described their ‘shock’ following the tragedy.
‘We’ve lost a very valued member of the community. This is a close knit area so it’s a raw time,’ one man told the Grimsby Telegraph.
A spokesman for Humberside Police said: ‘Enquiries are underway into the death of a 32-year-old-man on farm premises in the Immingham area on Thursday, March 5. We are working with the HSE to establish the circumstances of the death.’
The driver was found to have died from injuries sustained in the crash, but is not believed to have come into contact with any live power cables (stock photo)
The incident left nearly 1,908 homes without power for much of the afternoon, which the last properties waiting until 10.30pm to have power restored.
Northern Powergrid said in a statement: ‘At around 2.30pm on Thursday we responded to a power cut affecting 1,908 customers in Immingham.
‘Our teams attended, alongside the emergency services, who are now investigating the death of a 32-year-old-man on farm premises. Our thoughts and condolences are very much with the gentleman’s family and friends at this sad time.
‘Our own initial investigations indicate there was no direct contact with any live electrical equipment on our network and we will continue to support the investigating authorities who are working to establish exactly what happened.
‘In relation to the power cut, we ensured that the area of network was safely isolated.
‘By switching electricity through alternative routes we restored power to 1,899 customers by around 4pm and the remaining nine customers affected by around 10.30pm that night. We thank our customers for their understanding and patience.’