Review of Electrocution Deaths in Iraq: Part II - Seventeen Incidents Apart from Staff Sergeant Ryan D. Maseth, U.S. Army

摘要

This is Part II of our Review of Electrocutions in Iraq. Based on preliminary work conducted in support of Part I, and growing congressional interest, we sought information on all electrocutions that occurred in Iraq since Operation Iraqi Freedom began in March 2003. We identified 17 other electrocutions involving U.S. military or contractor personnel, as listed in Appendix A. Nine of the 17 electrocutions involved accidental deaths that resulted from the victims touching or coming into contact with live electrical power lines. Whether equipment maintenance complied with proper electrical standards or grounding requirements were not issues in these nine electrocutions, and the investigations conducted in the cases sufficiently established responsibility for the deaths. The circumstances surrounding these deaths were straightforward, and the respective investigations laid out the relevant facts surrounding these incidents and established responsibility for the deaths. The remaining eight electrocutions involved equipment malfunctions that could have related to whether equipment maintenance complied with proper electrical standards or whether the respective chain of command acted responsibly in protecting Service members. This report presents our results after reviewing the eight electrocutions involving equipment which occurred prior to Staff Sergeant Ryan D. Maseths death in January 2008. In each case, prior to our review, either the United States Army Criminal Investigation Command (USACIDC), or the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) completed an investigation. In addition, in most cases, other investigations were conducted, including accident/safety investigations, command directed investigations, and autopsies. Our review focused on (1) whether USACIDC and NCIS adequately addressed the cause and manner of death in each case, and (2) if they thoroughly examined whether personnel in each victims chain-of-command were aware of electrical safety problems and, by inaction, negligently placed the victim at risk. In addition to reviewing investigations conducted by a Military Criminal Investigative Organization (MCIO), we reviewed command-directed investigations, safety/accident investigations, autopsies, and any other investigation regarding the deaths. We also visited the sites in Iraq where the deaths occurred and interviewed current command personnel about the electrocutions. We conducted our work between August 2008, and March 2009.