The Ritz family was stunned when their son Lucas was killed while swimming with his life jacket on and being closely supervised by his mother. The danger could not be seen but was silently lurking in the water. Electricity was leaking into the water from a boat plugged in to shore power....

Most people know that working with high voltage power lines and electric equipment is dangerous work, but when they get in their own vehicle, they can forget. Add to that texting, applying makeup, reading the newspaper, or a number of other sorted distractions, and that can spell disaster – for...

On an April morning in 2016, Clint Shults was driving a school bus to take students to an FFA competition in Rangely, Colorado. The team’s horse judging coach, Silvia, followed the bus in her car. Heavy, wet snow had been accumulating, and the bus snagged a power line just as it was falling to...

Each year, accidents in which motorists hit power poles have the potential to bring live power lines to the ground. Tragically, many drivers and passengers who survive the impact are electrocuted when they attempt to leave the vehicle. Helping drivers understand the right actions to take can...

It was Cody Conrady’s next-to-last day as an assistant manager for an ag fertilizer company. They were shorthanded that day, so Cody jumped in his truck to get ahead of the sprayer. Once the sprayer was in place, he hopped out of the truck to fill the tank with fertilizer. He and his coworker...

How can you know that ice is safe to walk on? Is old ice safer than new ice? Curt Sinclair, 4-H youth development Extension specialist, walks you through how to stay safe on the ice this winter, covering everything you need to know for winter ice safety including how to make homemade ice picks...

Prevent hunting accidents by learning the proper way to use hunting tree stands. University of Illinois Extension 4-H Natural Resources and Shooting Sports specialist Curt Sinclair demonstrates three different types of tree stands.