Texas Woman Electrocuted in New York While Walking Pets

[MavKikiNYC]

Sad, sad, sad.......

Shocked woman lived a dream

Family recalls her dedication to helping kids

By KERRY BURKE, CARRIE MELAGO and TRACY CONNOR
DAILY NEWS WRITERS

The grieving family of the young woman electrocuted while walking her dogs in the East Village tried to reflect last night on her life, not the freak accident that killed her.
They described Jodie Lane, 30, as living her dream: sharing a home with her boyfriend and their pooches, Reilly and Meeko, and working toward her Ph.D.

Lane, who hailed from Texas but had lived in New York for 10 years, was just one year away from receiving a doctorate in clinical psychology from Columbia University's Teachers College.

"Jodie was passionate, dedicated and devoted to helping children with special needs, and was prepared to defend her dissertation on obsessive-compulsive disorder in children in September 2004," the family said in a statement.

"She was loved dearly by all her friends, colleagues and her family."

Relatives had no comment about the specifics of the Friday night tragedy that ended a life full of promise.

"I am just so bewildered by this," her father, Roger Lane, told the Daily News from his home in Austin, Tex. "We're too overwhelmed by this."

Lane was out for a nightly stroll with Reilly, a mutt, and Meeko, a Husky mix, when she was killed.

Indications are that a frayed wire, worn down by snow and road salt, sent a surge through a metal-trimmed cable cover in the street.

Lane's dogs felt the shock first and clamped on to each other at the mouth.

After the dogs separated, Lane picked Reilly up from the sidewalk and carried her back to the cover, where Meeko lay bleeding, according to Bonnie Slifkin, who lives on the block.

"Now I know what it is," Slifkin quoted Lane as saying just before slipping and falling onto the electrified cover.

A terrified Reilly bit her owner, Slifkin said.

"It was a horrible sight to see," Slifkin said. "It was just so awful to witness."

Paramedics got to Lane, but it was too late.

"We worked feverishly on her," said emergency medical technician Ronald Johnson, who managed to pull her off the plate and onto a plastic backboard.

The incident took place in front of Veniero's Pastries on E. 11th St., one block from the penthouse Lane shared with her boyfriend, Alex Wilbourne.

The exact cause of the fatal shock was being investigated by officials from Con Edison, the NYPD and the city's Department of Transportation.

"We have begun a comprehensive investigation into this tragic and highly unusual accident," said Con Ed spokesman Chris Olert.

Con Ed officials could not say what precautions they have taken to prevent such incidents. Several dogs and a carriage horse have been killed in similar fashion over the years.

"It's a terrible tragedy," said DOT spokesman Tom Cocola. "We will work with Con Edison to determine exactly what happened here."

Lane was devoted to her pets. Her apartment was decorated with photos of them, and a mat at the front door instructed guests, "Wipe Your Paws."

Both dogs were traumatized - physically and mentally - by the incident, the veterinarian who treated them said yesterday.

"They were both absolutely terrified. They knew what was happening to their mother," said Dr. Sara Neuman of the St. Mark's Veterinary Hospital.

"They were both in shock. One wouldn't walk and had to be carried. The other could get around only gingerly."

Reilly was the more seriously injured. She was shocked "on her hind feet, her toenails were burned off and her veins and nerves exposed," Neuman said.

"She was so scared, she bit her sister on the nose. But her sister's fine. The wound was only superficial."

The dogs were returned to Lane's family after being treated.

"Every winter, I get dogs who are electrocuted," Neuman said. "It's very common, more than people know."

The incident sent fear through dog owners who walk their dogs through the snow.

"I'll be more careful," said Ann Hinshaw, 28, who was playing with her Jack Russell terrier in Tompkins Square Park. "It's terrifying."