A Filipino American father and daughter were electrocuted in the backyard of their home in Panorama City, California, on Monday.
The victims were identified as Ferdinand Tejada, 53, and Janine Reyn Tejada, 20, according to the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office via CBS Los Angeles.
“She came in contact with the water and the water served as a conductor. Our firefighters waited for the Department of Fire and water to come cut power because he was beyond medical assistance as was his daughter,” David Ortiz, a firefighter with the LAFD, told CBS Los Angeles.
Subscribe to
NextShark's Newsletter
A daily dose of Asian America's essential stories, in under 5 minutes.
Get our collection of Asian America's most essential stories to your inbox daily for free.
Unsure? Check out our Newsletter Archive.
Although it was raining when the tragic incident occurred, it is unclear what caused the wires to come down. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) is working with local law enforcement to investigate the deaths, Asian Journal reported.
“LADWP is saddened to report that two individuals were electrocuted while coming in contact with downed power lines,” the department said in a statement. “These two tragic deaths are a sobering reminder that live electrical wires can and will often result in death. Don’t get near or touch a downed power line.”
Before moving to Southern California, the Tejadas lived in Dasmariñas City in Cavite, Philippines.
According to a GoFundMe page to help out the Tejada family, Janina is a West Coast University student and dreamed of becoming a nurse.
Niño Lloyd Tejada, a relative of the father and daughter, paid tribute on Facebook.
“It’s a sad day for our family to hear the news about the death of our dearly beloved Ferdinand C. Tejada and his daughter Janina M. Tejada at their home in California. Accidents do happen but death is inevitable for all. The life that you both journey and footprints that you leave behind will forever echo in our hearts…a leading father, a thoughtful brother, and a mentor uncle.”
Feature Image via Janina Tejada (Left), Niño Lloyd Tejada (Right)
