A tree trimmer in Atlanta, Georgia, died Monday after being electrocuted while cutting down trees, police said.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found a tree service company employee had been electrocuted, the Acworth Police Department said on Facebook. Police confirmed he is deceased.
“He had taken his chainsaw, and that’s what caught the power line, and it was all over for him,” a local neighbor, Debbie Carter, told Atlanta News First.
“It was … it was awful,” Carter told the outlet. “And then when you saw him hanging there, it was very, very disturbing.”
The man’s identity has not yet been revealed, the outlet reported. He was reportedly working on private property at the time of the incident. (RELATED: REPORT: Woman Goes To Mow Her Lawn, Dies).
“Unfortunately, he lost his life and it’s a very sad situation today,” Cpl. Eric Mistretta told the outlet.
‘Just sad. It could’ve been prevented’ 💔
ONLY ON 11: Exclusive video we obtained from neighbors who called 911 after a tree trimmer was electrocuted show the frantic moments immediately after. The power lines weren’t turned off despite a warning hours earlier ⬇️ @11AliveNews pic.twitter.com/GgWcPRKiVM
— Angelina Salcedo (@AngelinaOnTV) May 21, 2024
The Cobb County Fire Department worked alongside police and Acworth Power to get the man out of his harness and down from the tree, the outlet reported.
“The power company showed up. They brought a large bucket truck to assist us. They also killed the power lines and covered the power lines for the safety of our crews,” Lt. Steve Bennett with Cobb County Fire told the outlet.
“Hearing all the chaos and thinking the tree was going to fall on my house because it had been miscut, and to come out here, and to see someone hit the power line and lose his life so quickly. No one could do anything,” Robin Johnson, who lives across the street from where the incident took place, told Fox 5 Atlanta.
“I just can’t stop thinking about how that man went up that tree thinking things would be fine and then never making it down,” Johnson told the outlet.
Further investigation is being done by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Atlanta News First reported.
Neighbors have reportedly left flowers at the scene, and one neighbor told 11AliveNews he plans to honor the man.
“I’m going to paint a white cross. We don’t want to forget this guy, we didn’t know him, but I don’t want to see anyone lose their life unnecessarily,” Robert Carter told the outlet.