JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A man was killed by electrocution after hitting a power line while trimming a tree about 50 feet in the air on Saturday morning in Arlington, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
Officials responded to a home on Townsend Oak Court in Arlington where they said a man in his 30s or 40s accidentally hit a power line while trimming a tree.
He was pronounced dead on the scene by the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department.
JSO said he was a handyman who was helping out with tree work in the area. News4JAX spoke with a family member who said he worked with tree-trimming companies over the years.
Jason Sloan, a neighbor, said he was headed outside to do yard work when they heard a loud bang.
“I assumed it was a car accident out on Ft. Caroline. When we came outside, an hour or two later we heard the fire trucks, and police [I] just assumed no big deal,” Sloan said.
Sloan added that he was shocked to hear what happened.
JEA was called to assist at the scene to fix the power cables.
Stacy Durance, president of Durance Tree Service in Jacksonville gave safety precautions for people if they decide not to hire a tree trimming service company.
“You always want to stay away from power lines at least 10 to 12 feet because it can arc and electricity can jump and potentially kill or shock you,” Durance said.
He added that if you have to use an airlift bucket to trim the tree, make sure it is insulated for protection from electrocution.
“If you’re just a regular company and you’re not JEA trained for it, you don’t want to be within 12 feet of it regardless,” Durance said.
Police said that a transformer may have been blown, but there wasn’t a mass power outage after the man was electrocuted.
Officers also said they are waiting for an official cause of death from the medical examiner’s office, but there is no foul play suspected.