DANIEL TYLER GOODEN

LAPLACE – Power surged through LaPlace electricity lines Thursday as Christopher Samson, a Cable Plus employee, was shocked while working on electrical lines behind the Percy Hebert building. At roughly 11 a.m. Thursday, the LaPlace Volunteer Fire Department headed for the scene of the accident. When the emergency crew arrived Samson was conscious, lying on the ground near the utilities truck that he had been working in. The shock caused Samson to fall roughly 20 feet to the ground. He was transported to River Parishes Hospital, then transferred to the Baton Rouge General Hospital Burn Unit in stable condition. Lights in numerous buildings flipped off as Samson made contact with the lines. At L’Observateur the power surge caused electrical problems. Employees smelled smoke and immediately called the fire department. Though no fire was found, it was two hours before employees were able to return to work. The backup generators came online at the Percy Hebert building as the power shut off. The emergency operations center reported it had power in seven seconds. Other business and residences were affected by the accident, though the extent of the power outage had not been released by Entergy Thursday afternoon. Cable Plus is a subcontractor for Reserve Telecommunications Company.