A tragic accident claimed the life of a 26-year-old man Wednesday morning while he was trimming a tree in Ocean Ridge.
The Ocean Ridge Police Department (ORPD) told CBS12 News the electrocution occurred just before 11 a.m. Authorities believe the man — an independent subcontractor — may have accidentally struck an overhead power line while performing his duties at a home at 4 Beachway North in Ocean Ridge.
“I mean it’s horrible. It’s so sad. I feel so sad for the guy. It’s so bad,” said Taylor Heavyside, an Ocean Ridge resident.
“It’s horrible. I feel terrible for the landscaper that apparently was, lost his life,” said EZ, another Ocean Ridge resident.
Boynton Beach Fire Rescue responded to the scene around 10:50 a.m. after receiving reports of smoke in the air near David Lane. Upon arrival, firefighters located the worker, who was stuck in a tree near a live wire. Fire crews immediately contacted Florida Power & Light (FPL) to shut off power to the area. Police said that the outage was not directly caused by the accident itself.
Once FPL confirmed the shutdown, BBFR said firefighters performed a high-angle rescue to access the man. The worker was confirmed dead at the scene.
Zank says the electrocution would not have happened if FPL would bury the power lines in Ocean Ridge. He says he’s asked FPL to bury the power lines underground several times in the past few years.
“I asked them to bury the power lines in the town and bury them specifically in front of my home and FPlL basically kicks the can down the road and passes me from one department to the next. They never come out to actually bury the lines. The state of Florida has allotted a certain amount of funds to FPL to go ahead and bury these lines yet they still haven’t done so here in Ocean Ridge,” Zank explained.
We called FPL, seeking comment on whether they intend to bury power lines in Ocean Ridge and they did not provide an answer to that question.
Ocean Ridge Police and OSHA are investigating this electrocution.
As for the power outage, about two dozen customers were impacted
This marks the second fatal tree-trimming incident in Ocean Ridge this year. On January 28, another contractor lost his life in a horrific accident involving a woodchipper while working on a project at the Ocean Ridge Town Hall and Police Department property.
That incident, which involved a worker from Carlton’s Tree Service, prompted an investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and raised concerns about workplace safety in the industry.
Authorities have not yet released the name of the worker involved in Wednesday’s accident.
The investigation remains ongoing, and further details will be provided as they become available.
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Source: cbs12
