Ural Teen Blamed for Accident That Cost Him His Arm
It has been almost five months since 14-year-old Artem Chudinov from Aramil (a town in Sverdlovsk Oblast) lost his left arm. The teenager has relearned how to dress, wash, and help his mother with household chores — he deftly handles all the tasks with his right hand alone.
No one gives Artem any special treatment. Together with his parents, he decided he doesn«t need it: the boy is against being treated any differently. He survived the severe electric shock, and that»s the main thing.
How the teenager«s life has unfolded and why he was blamed for what happened — read in the report by Elena Anosova.
«Mom, let»s stop by the church. I«ll get a cross»
«Can you imagine how strong he is? Stronger than me, that»s for sure. When the doctor said the arm would have to be amputated, not a muscle on his face twitched,« says Anastasia Chudinova, Artem»s mother.
We met with Anastasia and Artem near that very transformer booth where the teenager was electrocuted on August 29 of last year. The boy was out with friends. A downpour started, and the schoolchildren ran to the nearest house to take shelter from the bad weather, but none of the neighbors let them into the entrance. Then someone in the group suggested climbing into this booth.
Artem calmly tells what happened and does not deny that he is to blame. However, there is a catch: getting into the booth turned out to be all too easy.
«I had been inside this booth a year ago, the summer before last. I went in, looked around, and came out. The door was wide open. And this time we decided to go in,» says Artem. «I thought that since it was so easy to get in, this booth was de-energized or not working. We climbed the iron stairs, the door was closed. I grabbed the handle, gave it a little tug. It opened on the first or second try, one side came off its hinges. And that was it, we went in.»
The teenager began curiously examining everything; there was very little space inside. Involuntarily, he raised his left hand and accidentally touched a metal corner on the transformer booth. Artem tried to turn and felt an electric shock.
It all happened in literally 5–10 seconds. The wire sparked, but there was no fire or bang. The clothing on his left arm burned, and the skin charred. The voltage in the booth was 10,000 volts.
The teenager climbed through a window onto the stairs and went out to his friends. He remained conscious the entire time. The boys called Artem«s brother for help and walked them home, from where an ambulance was called. The victim was taken to Children»s Hospital No. 9 in Yekaterinburg.
At that time, Anastasia was in Kamensk-Uralsky with her younger son for a football tournament. She has four children in total. Upon learning what happened, she got in the car with the child and rushed to the hospital.
«I don»t even remember how I got to «the ninth.» Honestly, his dad and I were very worried about Artem, but he himself supported us so much,« recalls Anastasia.
The boy was placed in the burn unit. An MRI showed that blood was not circulating in the injured arm, and it could not be saved.
Artem«s mother was not allowed into his room, but she came and spoke with his attending physician. She only saw her son through the window; he waved his stump at her, not showing any sign that something was bothering him.
That same evening, returning from Yekaterinburg, Anastasia went to the transformer booth to take a few photos. At the entrance hung a door torn from its hinges. There were no signs or stickers on the structure, but the very next day warnings like «Do not enter! It will kill you!» were posted there.
Soon, investigators opened a criminal case under signs of Article 238 of the Russian Criminal Code — «Performance of work or provision of services that do not meet safety requirements for the life and health of consumers.»
Seventeen days later, Artem was discharged from the hospital and returned home.
«I would like to express special gratitude to the burn unit of the ninth hospital, gratitude to the doctors for their caring attitude,» Anastasia says sincerely. «You know, when we were leaving the ninth, Artem said: »Mom, let«s stop by the church. I»ll get a cross.« And he hasn»t taken it off since. I think his guardian angel saved him.«
The teenager was blamed for everything
Two months later, on October 30, the family received a decision to terminate the criminal case. The law enforcement officers stopped the investigation, citing that the teenager was himself to blame for the injury he received.
It turned out that the transformer booth had been inspected in early August and no safety issues were noted. A specialist from Rostechnadzor (the Federal Service for Ecological, Technological and Nuclear Supervision) was also involved in the case, who noted that doors in such premises must be locked and have a fire resistance rating — and that«s all, no other requirements exist.
During the inspection of the transformer substation, minor violations were found. According to the rules, the company that owns the facility must take measures to prevent unauthorized people from entering electrical installations, however the methods for implementing them are not specified, the Investigative Committee«s decision states.
Also, on September 5, a commission inspected the transformer booth and decided that everything complied with technical requirements (after warning signs had already appeared on the site).
«I don»t absolve my child of guilt, but a high-risk facility should be somehow protected. The door was hanging on rusty nails, and the external staircase leading to the second floor should have been removed several years ago,« Anastasia is convinced.
The transformer booth belongs to Oblkommunenergo. According to Anastasia, the company promised to support the family. When everything happened, the utility workers asked not to comment to the media — the Ural woman accommodated them and stopped communicating with journalists, but in response to this gesture of goodwill, the family never received any help.
Yulia Lipinskaya, a well-known lawyer in Yekaterinburg, decided to support the family.
«We wrote a letter to the Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia, Alexander Bastrykin, regarding the fact that the criminal case was terminated. I think additional checks are needed to find out who is to blame for the fact that access to the transformer booth was not restricted,» says Yulia Lipinskaya. «The company received instructions to fix the violations but did not do so. The child became disabled, and he and his family were unable to fully exercise their rights.»
Friends joke: «We»ll have a cyber-weirdo«
Before the injury, Artem actively practiced sambo, then freestyle wrestling, and even took second place in the Urals Federal District championship in Kamensk-Uralsky. He had to leave competitions in the past, but the teenager goes to the gym to work out to stay in shape. The muscles in the injured arm also need to be tensed, otherwise they will atrophy.
The coach suggested the schoolboy try Paralympic sports, but the eighth-grader has not yet decided if he is ready for that step.
At first after discharge, Artem couldn«t do everything. Helping with household chores, the boy broke more than one plate, but now he deftly takes a vacuum cleaner or steamer under his left armpit, irons, and washes floors. He hardly needs outside help, except that he can»t put a watch on his right hand by himself.
Anastasia worried about how classmates, teachers, and peers would take the news of the lost arm, but in vain: their attitude towards Artem hasn«t changed at all. He studies at the same school and in the same class, writes tests and submits homework along with everyone else.
«When all this happened, all of Aramil cried. Many people called with words of support,» says Anastasia. «I went to see the school principal, and they asked me: »How should we treat him? Should we turn a blind eye to his mistakes?«»
At the end of February, Artem will be fitted with a removable bionic prosthesis: on January 12, the teenager flew with his father to Moscow for measurements. Surprisingly, while still in the hospital, the boy himself found the Motorika factory, which produces prostheses, and contacted them.
«Artem»s friends already called him «weirdo» because of his last name Chudinov. Now they say: «We»ll have a cyber-weirdo.« Of course, nothing can replace his own hand, but thank God he»s alive. That«s the most important thing,» says Anastasia.
The prosthesis itself costs 3.7 million rubles (about $41,100 at current rates), but the family will get it for free thanks to a social certificate. The main thing is not to break it, otherwise a new one will have to be bought at their own expense.
«What are the features of this prosthesis? It moves, allows you to wiggle your fingers, the device itself connects to the nervous system,» explains Anastasia Chudinova. «You»ll be able to use both a keyboard and a phone, but it can«t be broken or get wet. It can freeze, but literally 10–15 minutes in a warm room thaws the device and it starts working.»
Artem himself doesn«t yet understand how to control the prosthesis or what sensations he will experience, but he is sure that everyday life will definitely become easier.
— Do you regret now that you climbed into that booth?
— Of course. It would have been better to keep my arm, I wouldn«t need a prosthesis, there wouldn»t be all this fuss, but nothing can be changed now,« the boy says.
For now, Artem is preparing to take the Basic State Exam (OGE). Just six months ago, he wanted to go to college after the ninth grade and learn a trade, but then he changed his mind and decided to study to become an architect.
The editorial office of E1.RU also requested a comment from Oblkommunenergo. We will publish the company«s response as soon as we receive it.
Updated: Oblkommunenergo commented on the boy«s story. They responded that investigators had established the innocence of the company»s employees due to the absence of a causal link between the actions of the employees and the infliction of grievous bodily harm.
«The personnel did not violate the requirements for the safe maintenance of the transformer substation. The previous inspection was on June 17 — no damage to hinges, doors, or locks was recorded. At the scene of the incident, the investigation found signs of a break-in. Immediately after being notified of the penetration into the transformer substation, employees of the Aramil Distribution Grid Company promptly restored the door on the second floor and updated the safety signs,» Oblkommunenergo commented.
The company is ready to help the family if they receive an official request for compensation and documents confirming treatment and rehabilitation expenses. However, the family of the injured schoolboy has not contacted Oblkommunenergo.
Electricity poses a mortal danger, and children do not always survive such a strong electric shock. Thus, in Volchansk, a five-year-old boy died when a power line wire fell on him. Another example is a story from a settlement near Tugulym, where a 15-year-old teenager climbed onto a transformer booth near a store and died.
Also read an important guide on how to save a child if they are electrocuted.
