Live wire kills teen following storms, massive Michigan power outages

Overnight thunderstorms in southeast Michigan left hundreds of thousands without power, and are being attributed to a teen girl’s death.

At the last update on Tuesday morning, more than 260,000 customers were without power due to the severe storms and 70 mph winds that swept through the area, according to DTE Energy’s outage map.

DTE says crews are securing the more than 3,300 downed power lines, assessing damage and beginning restoration.

The energy company and first responders took to social media to warn of the serious storm impacts.

“The power outages were indiscriminate and covered most of Metro Detroit, stretching as far west as Ingham County, as far north as Arcadia and Imlay City, as well as much of Detroit, and as far south as Dundee in Monroe County,” FOX 2 Detroit reported.

A 14-year-old girl was killed by a live wire in Monroe just before 8 p.m. Monday, police say.

When emergency personnel arrived at the scene, they found the girl still in contact with the energized electrical line, which fell as a result of a passing thunderstorm.

DTE Energy crews were contacted and disconnected the power lines so emergency workers could attend to the victim. 

Once first responders could attend to her, she was pronounced dead on the scene.

“Officers on-scene learned that the victim was walking with a friend in the backyard of her residence and believed that they could smell a bonfire. The victim reached for what she believed was a stick, however, it was the charged electrical line,” a news release said.