Worker at Cowboys stadium killed in accident

ARLINGTON -- An electrician died Saturday when he touched a high-voltage line at the new Dallas Cowboys stadium, the second serious construction accident at the site in three days.

Timothy Mackinnon, 45, of Arlington was pronounced dead about noon at the stadium site in the 900 block of West Sanford Street, according to the Tarrant County medical examiner's Web site.

Mackinnon was on a ladder at the stadium's street level checking the connection and apparently touched one of the high-voltage lines, an Arlington fire official said.

The worker was wedged between one of the northwest stadium walls and the ladder when co-workers rushed to his aid and began to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation, said Neal Strasser, Arlington Fire Department battalion chief.

When firefighters arrived at the scene about five minutes after they were dispatched, they continued to perform CPR but were unable to revive the victim, Strasser said.

Firefighters worked to save Mackinnon until they reached Arlington Memorial Hospital, Strasser said.

Fred Mackinnon said his son had been working as an electrician since he retired from the Air Force about 10 years ago.

Timothy Mackinnon was a hard worker and a genuinely nice person, his father said.

"This family has had to get through quite a bit today," the elder Mackinnon said.

Timothy Mackinnon was a journeyman electrician working with JMEG Electrical of Dallas, a subcontractor for Manhattan Construction, the general contractor for the stadium project.

In a written statement from Manhattan Construction, the company said it is cooperating with federal and local authorities in the investigation of the accident.

JMEG Electric officials were not available for comment.

"Our focus right now is with the family and friends of this individual as well as on the investigation of the incident," the statement said.

Work on the stadium in suburban Arlington stopped within an hour of the accident, and the job site will remain closed Sunday, Cowboys spokesman Brett Daniels told The Associated Press.

"It is indeed a real tragedy this young man was electrocuted at the stadium site," Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck said.

"Our hearts and prayers go out to his family."

Stadium construction started in April 2006 and is expected to be completed in time for the start of the 2009 NFL season.

This was the fourth major accident at the stadium construction site.

On Thursday, three workers were hurt when a cable snapped on a crane that was being used to assemble another crane.

The three men had to jump 15 to 20 feet to the ground to avoid being hit by the whipping cables.

Two of the men have been released from Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, but one of the construction workers, Wesley Harlow, 25, was listed in serious condition Saturday, a hospital spokeswoman said.

In January 2007, a worker fell 20 feet through a hole between stadium levels. His employer, Carrollton-based Capform, was fined $10,000 for not properly marking hole covers and not providing appropriate safety training.

The man later returned to work.

Later that year, a worker suffered broken vertebrae when a crane hook struck him in the back. He was taken to the hospital and released the next day.

This report contains information from Star-Telegram archives.