WILMINGTON, N.Y. ??“ A 44 year old electrical contractor was killed early Tuesday morning while performing annual maintenance at a transformer site on Whiteface Mountain in Wilmington, N.Y.

The man, William J. Cowie, of Stark, N.H., was electrocuted at approximately 7 a.m. while testing a transformer in the Kids Kampus section of the mountain. The site of the mishap supplies power to a triple chair at Kids Kampus as well as a nearby maintenance shop.

According to a report from the Essex County Coroner’s office, Cowie died instantly from cardiac arrest due to electrocution. The manner of death was ruled to be accidental, according to Essex County Coroner Walter S. Marvin.

Power has been temporarily terminated at the location, although Kids Kampus is closed to the public in the summer and fall.

Cowie was part of an electrical team from Concord, N.H. that had contracted with the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) to perform yearly testing on the mountain’s numerous transformers.

New York State Police in Ray Brook investigated, while the Wilmington Rescue Squad responded to the scene.

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