5-Year-Old Boy Dies From Electrocution After Crawling Into Unlocked Utility Box

A five-year-old boy tragically died on Thanksgiving after crawling into an unlocked utility box. Indiana’s WSBT reports:

The utility box that killed Izaya Baiz-Hickey last week carries more than 7,000 volts of electricity, so security is supposed to be tight. But city officials say not only was that box left unlocked; there didn’t appear to be a lock on it at all.

Family members of Izaya are still trying to understand why they lost him. While playing outside with friends after Thanksgiving dinner last week, authorities say he climbed into the utility box — buzzing with 7,200 volts of electricity — and was electrocuted immediately.

“Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to come out and check and make sure there are locks on these things,” said Izaya’s grandmother Melodie Hale.

Mishawaka’s utility department owns the utility box and hundreds of others. Monday morning, city officials met to talk about what happened while police continue their investigation.

“We expect that soon we’ll have a final report but until we do it’s somewhat speculative on our part to determine what really took place,” said Jim Schrader of Mishawaka Utilities.

But the head of Mishawaka Utilities says this much is clear.

“It is our procedure to have doors on these cabinets locked; can’t explain why it wasn’t,” Schrader said.

City officials say not only was that box unlocked Thursday night, there wasn’t a lock on it, and they still don’t know where it is.

Schrader says city utility workers are the only people with access to the boxes and know all too well the dangers of leaving them open.

Four days after the accident, authorities still aren’t sure why the box was unlocked.

But they promise — for the family of Izaya Baiz-Hickey — answers will come soon.

As a general matter, both the electric utility and the owner of the apartment complex have a legal obligation to keep high voltage equipment secure and safe.