Four firefighters were injured, one of them critically, when a high-voltage power line electrified a ladder truck they were using to dump water on a group of college students doing the Ice Bucket Challenge.
The tragic events unfolded yesterday in Campbellsville, Kentucky, as the local firemen assisted the students in a charity stunt that has taken the Internet by storm. The viral fundraiser has raised more than 40 million for ALS research and is hailed as a game-changer for nonprofit fundraising.
While the challenge normally involves one person doused in ice water, the Campbellsville University marching band decided to go big, huddling as a group and getting the local fire department to douse them at once from the truck’s extended ladder.
But just after the stunt, the truck got too close to a power line.
Electricity surged through metal vehicle, injuring four firemen. Captain Tony Grider, 41, who was in the ladder bucket, suffered severe burns and is in critical condition. A second firefighter, who was also in the bucket, is in fair condition. Two others suffered lesser injuries.
Above, watch a report on the incident. Below, watch the police press conference.