An SIUC business student died Thursday morning after a microwave he was working on electrocuted him.

Ryan Harris, a 30-year-old business student from Bollingbrook, was electrocuted at about 3 a.m. in his trailer. Carbondale Police Sgt. Don Priddy said the death was accidental.

“His roommate said he’d worked on the microwave off and on over the years,” Priddy said. “He’d just take the cover off and work on it.”

Harris held a degree in electronic systems technology from the College of Applied Science and Arts. Linda Seibert, chief academic officer at the College of Business and Administration, said Harris was a student in accounting working towards either a second degree or entering the MBA program.

He was also an employee of the SIUC Physical Plant and the Nights Over Egypt restaurant.

Priddy said Harris was discovered lying on the kitchen floor – the microwave next to him – by his roommate.

“The cover was off the microwave and it was plugged in,” he said.

Police performed CPR and Harris was taken by ambulance to Memorial Hospital of Carbondale, where he was pronounced dead.

Seibert said the business school is waiting for the Transitional Services department to inform them of the proper response for the family.

She said the university’s response to student deaths depends on the situation. Sometimes faculty members are advised to make no attempt to contact the family.

“Typically, we send at least a card,” Seibert said.

Harris’ friends have created a group on Facebook in remembrance of him. The group plans to hold a candlelight memorial between 9 and 10 tonight at Nights Over Egypt, located at 218 N. Illinois Ave.

Dave Jacobs, an employee of Mid-America Service in Carbondale, said a microwave could shock a person with as much as 4,000 volts and 12 amperes. Mid-America Service is a company that works with appliance repair.

The amount of current in a microwave is more than enough to kill a person, Jacobs said. Even when unplugged, there are parts in the microwave that can hold up to 2,000 volts.

“Most microwaves have a warning label that says high voltage,” he said.

When working on appliances, Jacobs said people often grab parts that shock them. The electric shock causes their muscles to contract and they can’t let go.

“Muscles are controlled with electric impulses,” Jacobs said. “The electricity from whatever they’re holding is stronger, so they have no control to let go.

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