Worker Dies from Electrical Accident at King Of Prussia Mall

An electrical shock at a construction site sent three workers to the hospital in Malvern, Pennsylvania, on Monday morning, April 13.

Upper Merion police are investigating the incident. According to information from the investigation, the accident occurred at 7:20 a.m. at the IMC construction site. Two men inside a scissor lift experienced the shock. Police say that the two men were cutting electrical cables beneath the second story floor, at the juncture between the existing mall and the new portion. An energized 13,000 volt, 200 amp cable was cut, resulting in the shock of one man and the injury of two other men. The arcing wire created a small fire. It was extinguished with moderate smoke condition.

First responder on the scene arrived to three victims. Joseph Iacovino, 36, of Norristown, suffered from electrocution, and was lying on the ground, unresponsive. The responders moved the victim to a safe area, where officers began performing CPR and using a defibrillator to resuscitate Iacovino. All three victims were treated at the scene and transported by Lafayette Ambulance squad to Paoli Memorial Hospital. Iacovino was in critical condition, as a 27-year-old male was taken by ambulance for treatment of non life-threatening injuries. A third man was also taken to Paoli Hospital for precautionary treatment.

The accident reportedly took out the electricity in the area for a few hours. It was restored sometime after 9:30 a.m. All three of the victims are employed by Omni Electric Company, based in Collegeville, P.A. The company released the following statement regarding the incident:

“The Union electrical contractor Omni Electric performing the last of four primary electrical service relocations over the past few weeks had an accident early this morning. Unfortunately one electrician was seriously injured. The electrical service to one of the areas of the mall was restored an hour later than originally planned as a result of the incident. Everyone at the mall and involved in the project are primarily focus on the injured individual and are hoping for a fast recovery. A full investigation is being undertaken to evaluate what occurred.”

Two days later, on Wednesday, April 15, the Chester County Coroner’s Office confirmed that Iacovino died at Paoli Hospital. The cause of death has been rule electrocution and classified as accidental. The Upper Merion Township Safety & Codes Department declared the site safe and construction operations continue.

Sources:

https://patch.com/pennsylvania/norristown/workers-injured-king-prussia-mall-construction-site-0

https://6abc.com/news/worker-dies-after-electrical-accident-at-kop-mall/655191/