The state Public Utilities Commission has fined Eversource $250,000 for failing to repair a broken arm on a utility pole in Keene, where a Keene State College employee was electrocuted while investigating a report of a low-hanging wire. The utility has a right to a hearing.
The PUC released its order Friday regarding the April 2014 death of Nathan DeMond. It said he was found in contact with the wire, which had detached from a pole's cross arm and sagged close to the ground.
The PUC's safety division found the utility conducted a maintenance inspection of the pole that January, which found it had a broken cross arm.
Eversource hasn't yet responded to the PUC. It said the safety of its customers and employees is its highest priority, and "we remain devastated by this tragic accident."