[Traveler59]

It sounds like he touched a 5 kilovolt local line (the last level of transmission before the pole pig that steps down to the household 120-0-120).

Standard feeder (last leg) is 7200V, the transformers are 60:1 step down to 240v two phase. I work high voltage/high current lines in the water & sewer department. We always have two people for safety, especially around the 480v lines.

- Traveler

[HiTech RedNeck]

7.2 kV with beaucoup amps behind it can create quite an arc.