By SYDNEY SCHWARTZ
The Patriot Ledger

MARSHFIELD - A Taunton teenager died Wednesday while doing construction work at a condominium complex off Route 139.

James Whittemore, 17, was helping his father and other workers take down scaffolding at Royal Dane Condominiums when a pole he was holding fell against a high-voltage electrical wire and he was electrocuted.

‘‘Both of our hands were on it. It killed him but it didn’t touch me,’’ his father William Whittemore said by telephone Wednesday night. ‘‘I think he died right there, in my arms.’’

James Whittemore, an incoming senior in the welding program at Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical High School, was working with his father this summer to save up money to buy a BMW, William Whittemore said.

Whittemore Construction, a family business, had just installed vinyl siding at the rear of a building in the complex, at about 2 p.m. Wednesday when the accident occurred.

A building resident said James Whittemore was holding a scaffolding pole to keep it steady as his father and another worker took it down.

‘‘He was balancing it. Eventually they just lost balance,’’ said Loretto Melone, who lives on the first floor of the building.

Melone, who was in his living room, said a worker on the roof was yelling down, ‘‘Watch out for the wire. Watch out for the wire.’’ He said he heard a crash and then heard the boy’s father yelling, ‘‘Hurry up, hurry up,’’ to call an ambulance.

‘‘He was frantic. He gave him mouth-to-mouth,’’ Melone said. ‘‘They couldn’t revive him.’’

Fire Chief Kevin Robinson said James Whittemore was taken to South Shore Hospital in Weymouth, where he was pronounced dead.

Robinson said the Marshfield building commissioner and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating the accident.

An NStar spokeswoman said a crew was at the scene to make sure the area was safe and to assist the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Royal Dane residents said Whittemore Construction had been replacing siding on their building for about three weeks.

James Whittemore was an honor roll student and captain of the varsity soccer team at school, his father said. James aspired to be an engineer, but also wanted to continue his hobby of go-kart racing.

‘‘We used to travel the whole country for races,’’ William Whittemore said. James won several go-kart championships, his father said.

James would have turned 18 on Aug. 17, his father said.

A resident of the condominium complex, Diane Marobella, said she met William Whittemore and the other construction workers last week.

‘‘He was very proud of his son when we met him,’’ she said. ‘‘They were so happy. ...He had nothing but praise to say about his crew.

‘‘You could feel how close they were, just from how they acted on the job,’’ Melone said. ‘‘He was a hard worker. He was a really good kid.’’

In addition to his father, James Whittemore is survived by his mother, Lisa, a brother, Thomas, 21, and a sister, Ashley, 20.

Kyle Alspach of The Enterprise staff contributed to this story. Sydney Schwartz may be reached at sschwartz@ledger.com .

Copyright 2007 The Patriot Ledger
Transmitted Thursday, July 26, 2007