JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 20-year-old man driving a bucket truck for a tree-trimming company was shocked Wednesday when the arm holding the bucket came in contact with an electrical line, police said.
The man in the bucket, later identified as George Washington, saw the fire and jumped out. He was not hurt.
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Washington was part of a Shaw's Tree Service crew trimming trees in the Spring Park Road area on Seville Street when the man in the cab started to get out to get a drink. At that moment, the arm of the truck hit a power line, sending electricity down to the cab, where the man who was half in, half out of the truck was shocked.
Washington was initially taken to UF Health Jacksonville, then was transferred to the burn unit at UF Health Shands in Gainesville. His condition was not reported, but News4Jax learned that he could lose both feet and a hand.
Officials told News4Jax that the top part of the boom is insulated but not the bottom part, which made contact. A fire sparked but was quickly put out.
"I heard a big commotion, (then), 'boom,' the power went out," neighbor John Hamlet said. "I ran outside, and that's when I saw that the truck was on fire. We were trying to get it put out and somebody was yelling, 'Electrical fire don't put water on it,' so everybody quit."
The injured worker was rushed to Memorial Hospital. His condition is unknown, but a co-worker said there were visible entry and exit wounds.
Neighbors said this was the first time they saw a tree-trimming service on their street. Hamlet said that, ordinarily, JEA trims the branches close to power lines.
The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, Jacksonville Fire Rescue and JEA responded to the scene.
Power was out in the immediate area and JEA crews were working to restore power and check the power lines.