Lawsuit filed in boy's death

ROWAN COUNTY, N.C. -- The mother of a 6-year-old boy who died in March after climbing a tree and coming into contact with a power line in Rowan County is suing EnergyUnited, the company that supplies power to the county.

The suit claims EnergyUnited violated national safety standards and that led to the death of Nathan Kenemore on March 27.

"I’ve never felt pain like this before," said Ron Davis, the boy’s grandfather. Nathan’s mother, Deorah Kenemore is still too distraught to talk but hopes the lawsuit will focus attention on the problem of wires running through trees.

Back in March, Nathan and his mother were visiting a neighbor’s house on Phiffer Road in Cleveland. Nathan climbed the tree in the front yard. When he was found by his mother, he was still in the tree sprawled across some branches. His mother and members of a rescue squad got him down but were unable to revive him.

The property owners were unaware of the uninsulated high voltage line running trough the tree and, according to the suit, EnergyUnited had failed to follow its own schedule for pruning for at least six years. The suit also claims that company employees were at the house monthly to read the meter and never took any action concerning the tree.

"You would think people coming and going would see a priority to take care of a tree that could be a potential danger," said the boy’s grandfather.

EnergyUnited would not answer questions about the incident but in a statement the company said it is "saddened by the tragic death." The statement goes on to say it devotes "a substantial portion of our $3.5 million maintenance budget to trimming trees... We respond immediately to any customer reports about trees growing near or coming into contact with power lines."

"I know they are sorry," said Davis, "but until they lose their grandson or their son, they don’t understand the pain."

The power line still runs across the yard, but the tree has now been taken down.