Wisconsin Bridge & Iron Co. v. Industrial Commission

On the afternoon of September 29, 1952, Thomas Harmer was killed while engaged on the erection of steelwork for a new building addition. He was kneeling on an I beam, placing a steel-cable choker around the beam so that it could be dragged to the building by means of a crane. The death was caused by electrocution. The crane was a mobile unit equipped with a 40-foot boom with a 12-foot extension jib capable of being extended vertically 59 feet from the ground. It was situated directly beneath three electric wires carrying 26,400 volts each, located 45 feet above the ground.

Wilbur M. Gehrt,…