Witchita, KS– A tragic incident occurred Tuesday morning in central Kansas, where a 16-year-old from Wichita lost his life due to electrocution while performing roofing work at the Great Bend Municipal Airport. The victim was identified as Ivan Joel Mollins. Another individual, 24-year-old Allistar Jose Sanchez, also from Wichita, sustained serious burns and was hospitalized, according to the Barton County Sheriff’s Office.
The accident happened at 8:15 a.m. on August 13, 2024, when first responders were called to the airport after reports of accidental electrocution. The two men had been working for a roofing company on the airport’s main hangar, located near the terminal building. Both Mollins and Sanchez were in a bucket on an aerial boom when they accidentally came into contact with high-voltage power lines, as stated in a news release from the sheriff’s office and Barton County Sheriff Brian Bellendir.
Sanchez managed to climb onto the roof of the hangar and reach the ground. Unfortunately, Mollins was found unresponsive in the bucket. Power was cut off at 8:48 a.m., allowing authorities to safely reach him. Both individuals were transported to Great Bend Regional Hospital, where Mollins was pronounced dead. Sanchez, suffering from severe burns, was later airlifted to a hospital in the Wichita area.
“Because the accident occurred on city property and involved a city building, the Great Bend Police Department requested that the Sheriff’s Office handle the investigation,” Bellendir said.
Emergency responders from several agencies, including the Great Bend Fire Department, Great Bend Police Department, and Midwest Energy, assisted at the scene.
