Mich. teen electrocuted as storm downs power line

[June 20, 2009]  OAKFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) -- A teenage boy has died after running into a downed power line while going to help neighbors as a storm swept western Michigan.

Police say Christopher O'Neill was electrocuted about 11 p.m. Thursday. Family members heard a "pop" and saw a flash when the power line fell and believed their neighbors' home might have caught fire. Christopher, who was about 16, rushed to alert the neighbors, a family that included several young children. With electricity out in the area, he couldn't see clearly and ran into the waist-high line. In the same county, Kent, a lightning strike set fire to a home, and heavy rain in the region flooded some roads. Consumers Energy Co. reports some 36,500 customers were without power statewide. [Associated Press] Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.