2023-09-01 19:30:00

A landscaping contractor, who was crossed by a powerful electric shock two weeks ago, on the North Shore of Montreal, considers himself lucky to be still alive despite an amputation.

“I never took it the wrong way. It happened, it happened. It might have been much worse,” calmly reports Karl Duchesneau, lying in his bed at the University of Montreal Hospital Center (CHUM), where he has been resting since August 21.

That day, the 30-year-old landscaping contractor was trimming a towering tree on a client’s property in Lachute.

Perched atop a 15-foot scaffolding, Mr. Duchesneau quietly hoisted his hedge trimmer there.

We see here the big tree that Karl Duchesneau pruned. You can also see the scaffolding, the long hedge trimmer and the electric wires. COURTESY Karl Duchesneau

In order to protect himself from the many wasps that buzzed around him, the young man covered his head with a hood, thus limiting his field of vision.

Too close

Only problem, a medium voltage line of regarding 12,000 volts was nearby. And unfortunately, his long and heavy tool would have come too close.

“My sight was restricted. I didn’t realize it. We have always been careful. It was really a careless mistake. I was not on the lookout”, recognizes the one who has accumulated ten years of experience in the field.

It was then that Karl Duchesneau felt an electric shock go through his body.

“It’s not bad. You hear the current hum. You feel it going through you”, he confides to our representative, who recently visited him in his large isolated room in the burns department.

Luckily, the force of the shock made him fall to the ground.

“That’s what saved me. Otherwise, I would have been caught there, until cooked. I had two broken ribs. But it was a blessing in disguise,” puts the survivor into perspective.

His colleagues rushed to him in panic.

Knee

“I was aware. I knew it was serious, but I still had my means. I was on adrenaline. I didn’t feel the pain,” recalls Mr. Duchesneau.

The latter suffered 3rd and 4th degree burns to his left hand and right foot. He has since had part of his foot amputated.

“The first day, it stung me between the toes,” he laughs, referring to phantom pain.

We can see here that his right foot has been amputated in half. COURTESY Karl Duchesneau

The 30-year-old now faces a difficult choice: knee amputation, or gradual, observing the reaction of his body.

However, this second option would mean months locked up at the CHUM.

“We are leaning towards the knee amputation. We want to make the best choice. I don’t want it to limit me,” explains the tennis and badminton fan, who sometimes, despite his optimism, stared into space, seeming lost in thought.

JONATHAN TREMBLAY/THE MONTREAL JOURNAL

For his part, Miguel Duchesneau is nothing less than thrilled to always have his younger brother by his side.

“I was sure he was dead,” says his brother. He is lucky in his misfortune. There are some that it really isn’t pretty, their burns followingwards. He will be able to use his legs.”

The brothers Miguel and Karl Duchesneau, during the passage of the Journal at the CHUM. JONATHAN TREMBLAY/THE MONTREAL JOURNAL

keep your distance

A Hydro-Quebec representative confirms that Karl Duchesneau is indeed “very” lucky to be able to share his misadventure.

“It would be reasonable to believe that the discharge was at least four to five times greater than that of a cardiac defibrillator. It might be more,” explains Francis Labbé, spokesperson for the state-owned company.

JONATHAN TREMBLAY/THE MONTREAL JOURNAL

The main interested party wants to take the opportunity to warn those who undertake this type of work.

“If you are not comfortable in the heights, do not go there, warns Mr. Duchesneau. You have to be vigilant and aware of your surroundings.”

“Stay away from wires,” adds Mr. Labbé. You have to stay at least three meters away. Because electricity can reach you. No need to touch the wires.

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