The gusty days of March signal that it's kite season, but before you send your child out to fly his or her kite, you'd be well advised to watch the following story. A 26-year-old man was electrocuted yesterday evening while flying a kite with his niece. He is Kennon Hernandez and he was killed yesterday near his home in Sandhill Village. Here's the story of how good fun can go very wrong.
Keith Swift Reporting,
This is where 26-year-old Kennon Hernandez was yesterday evening. It is his yard and it was in this yard that Kennon was flying a kite for his niece. While doing that, the kite broke loose and the wire hit those high-tension wires. Tragedy then struck.
Alexander Hernandez, Brother of Deceased
"I was sleeping and my girl came and told me that my brother got shocked dead." [Sobbing]
Keith Swift
What did you see when you come out here?
Alexander Hernandez
"When I came he was already gone. We found some shillings down there but he was shocked here so he went from here to over there because that's where the man died." [Sobbing]
The first family member to find Kennon on the ground was his father Romilio Hernandez who was alerted by a passer-by.
Romilio Hernandez, Father of Deceased
"When we ran out here, we found hi here leaned down and groaning. So my wife and his sister came out with some alcohol; they wet him so he could stop groan. He started to groan again and we put him in the car and we took him to the hospital."
Keith Swift,
So he was still alive?
Romilio Hernandez
"We assumed he was because he was groaning a little and he had no movement and no action but on the way there he passed out."
Romilio rushed Kennon to the hospital but it was too late. Kennon never regained consciousness and was pronounced dead on arrival at KHMH. Today his father conceded that yesterday Kennon made a deadly mistake. That mistake was using a piece of electrical wire to lengthen the string on the kite. It may look harmless but this against the high-tension line it is a recipe for disaster.
Romilio Hernandez
"He wanted to take it up higher. He couldn't get no line so he got that wire and he add it on to the line. So the kite went up higher and after going higher, it popped away right and then it was already over the high tension wire and that electrocuted him."
Keith Swift,
Could this accident have been avoided?
Romilio Hernandez
"Well it could have if he had done the right thing and not use the wire."
But he did use this wire and today as Romilio lamented the loss of his son, he says there is a lesson in his tragedy.
Romilio Hernandez,
"To the kids them, they must keep away from high tension wires when they are raising kites or dealing with metal around because if touch it you will be electrocuted."
Today a release from Belize Electricity Limited reiterated that you should never fly kite with wire. We again note that Hernandez was using a kite from a store and he added on the wire. Both BEL and the police are conducting investigations into yesterday's accident.
