Company cited before 5-year-old injured in downtown Everett

Published 1:30 am Thursday, June 28, 2018

EVERETT — A 5-year-old boy and his father are expected to survive after an electrical accident in downtown Everett last week.

Investigators still are looking into what happened leading up to the injuries, Everett police officer Aaron Snell said Wednesday.

“The case is being reviewed to determine if the incident involved negligence or recklessness,” he said.

The state Department of Labor & Industries also is conducting an inspection. The company involved, Global X Group LLC of Kenmore, has a recent history of safety violations.

The father and son were in a mechanical lift that came into contact with power lines, officials said. It happened about 1 p.m. Friday in an alley near the intersection of Colby Avenue and California Street.

Both were taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. The boy’s injuries were described as serious. Additional information about their conditions has not been made public.

Everett firefighters, police, L&I and the Snohomish County Public Utility District all responded to the scene.

“We are pursuing additional information to try to figure out what happened,” L&I spokesman Tim Church said.

The agency has red-tagged the lift, meaning the equipment cannot be used again until it is examined by a mechanic and found to be in working order.

Global X Group received a state business license in 2014 and has listed addresses in Bothell, Kenmore, Kirkland and Shoreline, according to a public database. The license appears to have been inactive for a few months last year before being reinstated. No phone numbers are included in the records, which contain two email addresses. A response from one said it was the wrong contact information. The other did not respond.

Global X Group last was inspected by the state in December 2016, records show. At the time, the company was cited for five serious violations of workplace safety laws. The fines totaled $10,000.

The violations included improper use of scaffolding, and not having an accident prevention program at a worksite in North Bend, documents show. Scaffolding was deployed in a manner in which workers could fall off the edge or through the floor. Employees also were not made aware of potential hazards.

The PUD advises the public to stay away from electrical lines at all times, especially when they are downed. The same dangers can arise during home improvement projects such as tree-trimming and chores involving ladders.

Folks can contact their local utility with questions about specific lines.

“Always assume that they are live and potential deadly,” PUD spokesman Neil Neroutsos said.

Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @rikkiking.