Rose Marie Watts was thankful for the pain she was suffering yesterday, because it meant she was still alive after being electrocuted on Court Street on Friday night.

A Belco worker, who did not wish to be named, confirmed that a blue truck was pulling out of a parking space on Court Street, near the junction of Dundonald Street, when his truck got tangled with a stay line. The man, unaware that he was attached to a Belco utility pole, continued to pull away. The utility pole snapped just below the transformer and parts of it came crashing to the ground.

Mrs. Watts, a mother of three, happened to be walking by the pole when the mishap occurred. She said it was a regular afternoon for her ? having just had her nails done at Bold ?N? Beautiful salon and walking to her car at approximately 4.45 p.m. when she heard a loud bang and saw a flash of light.

?I heard this loud crack and looked up and saw the pole break apart and it started falling down,? she said. ?I didn?t see a truck or anything but I did see the weight of the generator pulling the pole and lines down.?

?As I turned around to see where I was going, the generator began to fall and I heard the noise but the surge just took me and pushed me so hard against a wall. My hands were out in front of me and broke some of my fall but I still hit my head against the wall.?

Mrs. Watts contradicted reports that the wire hit her. ?I was actually electrocuted by the surge in power that happened when the pole snapped and generator crashed.

?The next thing I remember was landing on the steps of Bliss. I must have screamed and a lady came running out. She worked at the salon and started helping me. I tried to get up but realised I couldn?t.?

?That?s when I went into a semiconscious sort of state. By the time the firefighters got there I just really thought I was dead. I was going in and out and they couldn?t get a pulse or a reading. They told me they tried to get a pulse and couldn?t and then tried my left side and finally found one. They put a mask on me.?

?I started to ache and realised I was alive and I was thankful for the pain because I knew I wasn?t dead!?

The firefighters placed her arms in casts because both were swollen from the impact of hitting the wall. She was taken to the hospital and underwent numerous tests including x-rays.

She was released from the hospital at 1.30 a.m. on Saturday.

Yesterday Mrs. Watts spoke to and said she was doing well but feeling pain and aches all over her body.

?It?s sort of like when you have the flu and your whole body aches,? she said. ?The swelling has gone down from the blow to my head and my right arm, but left arm is still quite swollen.?

?Places that weren?t hurting right after the accident are now hurting, like the tops of my feet. I just need time for my body to recover from the shock.?

Mrs. Watts made a point of thanking everyone who assisted her, in particular a Bliss Hair & Nails salon worker who first helped her and the firefighters who arrived at the scene within minutes.

Mrs. Watts, who is a Sunday School teacher, said her phone has been ringing off the hook since then. Her daughter actually had to disconnect the phone in her bedroom to ensure she got some much needed rest.