Student suffers major burns after shock from Dinky wire

November 28, 1990 — A 19-year-old sophomore was seriously burned early yesterday morning after he touched a live power line atop the Dinky at the Princeton train station.

Bruce Miller '93, who was listed last night in critical condition at St. Barnabas Hospital burn center in Livingston, N.J., was walking with a group of friends to the Wawa Market on University Place at approximately 4 a.m. yesterday when he climbed on top of the train, which was not functioning at the time.

He came in contact with the train's panogram — an 11,000-volt power line attached to the top of the train — causing an explosion that resulted in serious burn injuries, said Princeton Borough Police Chief Michael Carnevale yesterday.

Miller's burned hands and feet were "still smoking," and he was "screaming and bleeding profusely from the back of his head" when police arrived on the scene, Carnevale said.

Witness helps

One of Miller's friends happened to witness the incident and ran to help the victim, who was thrashing about on top of the train, according to police reports.

Acting Dean of Students Kathleen Deignan said in a statement released yesterday that "the evidence to date suggests alcohol was a factor that adversely affected the judgment of the injured student and his companion."

Though the police investigation is still underway, Carnevale said, "there is some evidence that may suggest that alcohol may have been consumed by the students."

First aid authorities transported Miller to the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital this morning, and he underwent surgery for burns on his left wrist, chest and the bottom of both feet, "where the voltage exited the body," Carnevale said.

At 12:30 p.m., Miller was airlifted to St. Barnabas Hospital, where burn center officials yesterday would not release any information other than Miller's condition.

Critical condition

Critical condition is "routine for severe burns and injuries of this kind," said McCosh Health Services director Dr. Louis Pyle '41, who was with the victim at the hospital yesterday morning. He added that Miller will be listed as critical for the next several days.

Pyle said surgery was performed at the Robert Wood Johnson Hospital "in the extremities to decompress the swelling to improve circulation."

Deignan said Miller was with two or three friends at the time of the accident. She did not know their part in the incident.

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"When the proctors and Borough Police have finished their investigations, depending on the circumstances, it's certainly conceivable that the discipline committee will look into this matter," Deignan said in an interview last night. "But we really need to wait and see."

Miller's parents flew in from Winnetka, Ill., yesterday and were with him at the burn center last night, Deignan added. Miller, who goes by the name B.J., was a member of the Princeton heavyweight crew team last year.

Several students have been shocked on top of the Dinky, Carnevale said, adding that the most recent occurrence was on Sept. 24, 1976. In that incident, the student survived but lost a portion of his foot to amputation owing to the burns. Another student survived a similar shock in 1966.