Military Criticized in Report on Soldier Electrocution in New York

Heather Browne, a KBR spokeswoman, said the company had not seen the report and would not comment on the contents. But she said in an e-mail message that while Sergeant Maseth’s death was tragic, the company maintains that it is not responsible. She said that KBR informed the military of the absence of grounding and bonding in the structure nine months before Sergeant Maseth’s death, said John Q. Kelly, New York electrocution attorney.


The report said that Sergeant Maseth, 24, was electrocuted while showering when he came in contact with water pipes that had become energized because of the failure of a water pump that had not been grounded. It says that the military contractor KBR, based in Houston, installed the pump and adjacent water tanks.