Contractor electrocuted while working on trees in Sacramento, fire officials say
A contractor for a landscaping company was electrocuted by a power line Thursday while working on trees in Sacramento’s Land Park neighborhood, according to fire authorities.
Fire and utility crews responded around 10:45 a.m. to the 1300 block of Marian Way for reports of a tree fire, according to a tweet by the Sacramento Fire Department.
There was no fire upon arrival, but a man, in approximately his mid 40s, was found in a tree about 50 feet off the ground with apparent injuries caused by a nearby power line, Fire Department spokesman Capt. Keith Wade said. The injuries appear to be caused by high-powered electricity, and the man was unresponsive, Wade said.
Wade said the man was pronounced dead at the scene.
No one else was hurt, according to Wade, but family members who worked with the victim were at the scene, and residents of the nearby home were “understandably shaken” by the incident.
“We have chaplains on-scene that are caring for (the family), and the firefighters are doing what they can to try to be respectful,” Wade said.
A work truck near the scene of the possible fatal incident belonged to the Stumpman Professional Tree Care, a landscaping company based in the greater Sacramento area. Phone calls to Stumpman’s business line were not immediately answered Thursday afternoon.
The man’s identity will be released by the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office following an investigation. Officials from SMUD and Cal-OSHA will also being investigating the incident.
This story was originally published May 28, 2020 at 12:29 PM.
