Ohio Man Electrocuted While Checking Crash Site

A man stepped on a downed power line and was electrocuted while trying to check the condition of a driver whose SUV had veered off the road and struck a utility pole near his northwestern Ohio home, authorities said.

The State Highway Patrol said 42-year-old Michael Feldman of Cloverdale drove to the crash site after his nearby home briefly lost power early Saturday. Troopers said Feldman approached the area where the pole had snapped, dropping power lines, and stepped on a live wire. They said he fell on the wire and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Feldman’s mother-in-law, Janet Burgei, told The Blade newspaper that he was the type of person who would stop to help someone in need.

“What Mike did was very typical of him,” she said. “If someone were stranded at the side of the road, he would go and help them.”

She said he was good at mechanical repairs and making conversation.

“He had a gift of gab,” she told the newspaper. “He’d talk your leg off.”

The 25-year-old Delphos man driving the SUV was able to walk away from the scene, about 60 miles southwest of Toledo.

Troopers said they believe speed and alcohol were factors in the crash. There was no immediate word of charges.