A 29-year-old man died by a suspected lightning strike while doing tree-trimming work in Whitewater, authorities say.
Shortly before 10 a.m. Monday, July 27, emergency personnel responded to a report of an electrocution injury on the 400 block of South Elizabeth Street, in a tree in a back lot off West Laurel Street in Whitewater, according to a news release from Whitewater Fire and EMS.
When first reponders arrived on scene, they found a worker suspended 60 feet up in the tree. He was an employee with The Davey Tree Expert Company, doing subcontract work for We Energies.
The supervisor of the crew said there was a “loud bang and a flash,” and they believed the tree had been struck by lightning, according to the news release.
The fire department attempted to reach the man with a tower ladder, but were unable to get to him due to the tree’s distance from the road. Members of the tree-trimming crew ascended the tree and lowered the man to the ground, where an EMS crew stood by, the news release said.
The man was pronounced dead at the scene.
There was no evidence at the scene to suggest the worker had come into contact with energized power lines. A weather system had been moving through the area at the time of the 911 call, according to the news release.
Both We Energies and The Davey Tree Expert Company confirmed the worker died while working at a job site.
“We are aware of the tragic incident involving a contractor performing work on our behalf,” said Brendan Conway, spokesperson for WEC Energy Group, the parent company of We Energies, in an email. “We are deeply saddened and extend our condolences to the contractor’s family, friends and coworkers. We are working with the appropriate authorities as they review the incident.”
A spokesperson for Davey Tree also shared an emailed statement.
“We are very sorry to report that a Davey Tree team member was fatally injured this morning at a work site in Whitewater, Wisconsin. Unfortunately, we do not have many details yet to share,” the statement reads. “Right now, our concern is for our employee’s family, coworkers and friends, and we are reaching out to them to determine how we can provide support during this tragic time.”
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 2150, the union that represented the man, shared condolences on Facebook to the family of the man who died, as well as everyone impacted by severe storms that hit Wisconsin July 27.
“As many of our brave men and women continue to work tirelessly restoring power, please be patient and remember that not only are they spending long hours away from their families, they are risking their lives to restore the services you may be complaining are out for too long,” the union’s Facebook post reads.
A death investigation is being conducted by Walworth County Medical Examiner and the City of Whitewater Police Department. The man’s name has not yet been publicly released.
Adrienne Davis contributed to this report.
Contact Kelli Arseneau at (920) 213-3721 or karseneau@gannett.com. Follow her on X at @ArseneauKelli.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Tree-trimming worker dies from suspected lightning strike in Whitewater
Reporting by Kelli Arseneau, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Kelli Arseneau, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
