MONROE, Mich. (WXYZ) — A heartbroken family is opening up after the death of a 14-year-old girl who came into contact with a downed power line.
“She was just an amazing person and best cousin I could ask for. My son adored her. It’s just really hit me hard when I found out she’s no longer here,” the victim’s cousin Tiffany Keck said.
Speaking with a heavy heart, she and the victim’s mother Martha Jean Hunter are reflecting on the life of 14-year-old Elizabeth Jacobsen.
“After the storm we had, my girlfriend’s daughter and Elizabeth wanted to go out back and walk circles, talk about boys and music, stuff teenage girls do.” Hunter said.
She added, “They smelled something sweet like a campfire. My daughter thought that it was a twig on the ground — my daughter loves sticks. I've got two huge sticks that belong to her. She thought it was a twig and went to pick it up, and 13,800 volts went through her body.”
She describes the loss as devastating.
Monroe police say it happened around 7:40 p.m. on Peters Street near Conant Avenue. The location is near the home, and the family is now planning to move to get away from the horrors of what happened.
The incident happened just hours before an 8-year-old boy was hospitalized in critical condition after touching a live power line in Warren.
“(Elizabeth was a) Very happy-go-lucky girl. Very outdoorsy. Helped everybody and loved everybody. She loved scary movies. She would watch a scary movie and go to bed, then come running to and say, ‘Mom I can’t do it.’ She loved making people smile, helping. It was too soon for her to go,” Hunter said.
Monroe Public Schools is providing students and staff with counselors to talk with. Parents are also being encouraged to talk with their kids.
Letter to Families by WXYZ-TV Channel 7 Detroit on Scribd
DTE has pledged to cover funeral expenses. To help the family with moving costs, you can visit their GoFundMe page.
