Man airlifted after Duke Energy substation accident

HILDEBRAN – A Rock Hill, S.C., man was hit by a 2,000-pound electrical transformer Thursday morning while working at a Duke Energy substation.

Workers at the substation reported they had been trying to move the transformer Thursday morning when it fell, said Capt. Tim Hubbard with Burke County EMS.

The man, 47, was conscious after the equipment hit him. He complained of chest pain and shortness of breath, Hubbard said.

He was taken to Hildebran Elementary School by ambulance and then flown by helicopter to Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte with serious injuries.

The man was an employee of Substation Concrete Services, according to a Duke Energy spokesperson.

The substation is off 10th Street, NE. The accident was reported around 10:20 a.m.Alex Frick is a reporter for the Hickory Daily Record.