AKRON, Ohio -- One worker is dead and another worker was injured while trimming a tree on Coventry Street in Akron on Tuesday.
The Akron Fire Department says a 38-year-old man, who worked for a private contractor, touched a live wire. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
That power surge ejected a 46-year-old female worker from the lift bucket. She was taken to Akron City Hospital. At last check, police said that her condition seemed to be improving.
A new homeowner had hired the pair to trim trees in the yard of a home he'd just purchased and was planning on renovating.
"The guy up there, he touched the wire, I don't know why, I don't know what happened, and then the whole thing just went into a fireball," said the homeowner, who would only give his first name, Sebastian.
"It just wasn't a pretty sight to see, man, I don't know, I'm still trying to get it out of my head," said a neighbor, who did not want be identified.
"I heard, like a loud boom, my electricity went out in the house, I came outside, they were yelling 'call 911!" said the neighbor.
=====================
AKRON, OH (WOIO) -
The Akron Fire Department reports that one person is dead and another is hospitalized after they were electrocuted while cutting down a tree Tuesday afternoon.
The incident occurred at about 1 p.m. at 1772 Coventry St.
Akron fire officials reported that both victims were working for a private contractor when the accident occurred.
Neither the business name nor the names of the victims have been released; however, authorities noted that it was a man who died and a woman who was hospitalized.
The two people were a couple hired by the homeowner.
According to a 911 call, the couple was "on fire" following the incident.
Akron police report the electric current from the live wire was so strong that the woman was ejected from her work bucket.
The incident remains under investigation.
=================
By Doug Livingston
Beacon Journal/Ohio.com
A man died and a woman was seriously injured Tuesday afternoon when the bucket lift they used to trim trees made contact with a high-voltage power line in South Akron.
Authorities with the Akron Fire Department did not release the names of the two workers, who were working on Coventry Street, or their private employer.
A 911 dispatcher contacted FirstEnergy shortly after the incident at 1:13 p.m. Police on scene said the man, who was still in the bucket truck, died. The woman was ejected from the bucket lift and tossed to the ground. Authorities said she was transported to a nearby hospital with unspecified injuries.
“We try to tell people as much as we can to be aware of power lines no matter what you are doing,” said Mark Durbin, a spokesman for FirstEnergy. “Always look up and be aware of your surrounding to prevent any bad things from happening.
“It’s a very tragic situation.”
Durbin confirmed that the energy company was asked to cut power to the 23 kilo-volt line that feeds up to 500 nearby homes area so that first responders could bring down the body of the man. The bucket lift was lowered to the ground shortly after 2:30 p.m.
Akron Fire Department spokesperson Serjie Lash said the woman is believed to have been thrown from the bucket when the line made contact. The Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office is investigating the man’s death.
The incident happened on Coventry Street about halfway between East Wilbeth and Waterloo roads. The house can be seen off Interstate 77 South. FirstEnergy reported between 100 and 500 customers were without power in the area. Ohio Edison restored power when the man’s body was retrieved.