Duty of Care

On Wednesday afternoon, October 14, 2026, a man working in a bucket-lift truck died after coming into contact with a power line on Observatory Street in northwest Houston, near West Montgomery Road and West Gulf Bank Road, according to Houston police as reported by KHOU 11. The incident was reported around 5 p.m. Officials could not immediately reach him because electrical current may still have been running through the truck and its lift; CenterPoint Energy crews shut off the power so rescuers could reach the victim.

CenterPoint Energy told KHOU that a third-party contractor, unrelated to CenterPoint, came into contact with electrical infrastructure near Acres Homes, and that the company was working with first responders to secure the area. CenterPoint urged contractors and the public to stay at least 10 feet from power lines and at least 35 feet from downed lines. The worker’s name and employer were not immediately released, and the cause remains under investigation.

For crews working near overhead lines, the defenses to check are minimum approach distance based on voltage, a dedicated spotter when a boom or lift can reach a line, treating every line as energized until proven otherwise, and stopping when clearance is unsure.

• KHOU 11