Tragedy struck Seminole yesterday when three men were electrocuted while working on installing a new utility pole. Pinellas County Sheriff's Office reported that deputies rushed to the scene at 8675 Park Boulevard after receiving a call about an electrocution incident. Upon arrival, they found a distressing scene: one man deceased and two others severely injured amidst a grassy area ablaze.
The victims were identified as employees of Primoris, a crew subcontracted by Duke Energy to carry out the work. The job involved guiding a new pole into the ground, which proved to be fatally precarious. According to Pinellas Sheriff's office, Justin Bryan, 30, was coordinating on the ground with cohorts Jefferey Busch, 27, and Matthew Waldrop, 31. The boom operator was attempting to firmly grasp the pole when part of the claw struck it, causing the pole to make contact with a power line. A witness saw what was described as an explosion, which subsequently set the immediate vicinity on fire.
While Bryan tragically could not be saved and was pronounced dead at the site, his colleagues Busch and Waldrop were promptly transported to a hospital dealing with severe burns. The Pinellas Sheriff's Office has deemed the event accidental, noting there's nothing to immediately suggest foul play.
The workplace accident has summoned the attention of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which has been notified to pick apart the circumstances that led to this disastrous event. According to a statement obtained by Pinellas Sheriff's Office, "This incident appears accidental, and nothing appears suspicious."
