FPL Contractor Dies After He’s Electrocuted in SW Miami-Dade

A contractor for Florida Power and Light has died after he was electrocuted while working in southwest Miami-Dade Wednesday morning, officials said.

The incident happened around 9:40 a.m. in the area of Southwest 107th Avenue and Southwest 162nd Terrace. Miami-Dade Police officials said the worker was electrocuted by power lines that came in contact with his truck, which caused the vehicle to catch fire. Footage from the scene showed multiple work trucks with one severely damaged by the fire.

“I seen the guy on top of the machine doing his job. He fell down. He caught on fire —he caught on fire,” said Kshido Kahanvurrows, who witnessed the incident. “He started shaking and he caught on fire again. The other workers that work with him they ran over there to help him out.”

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue responded to treat the worker and said the worker was taken to a local trauma center, where he later died. His identity hasn’t been released.

Police spokesman Luis Sierra said they’re trying to determine how the worker, who was in his 30s, came in contact with the power line.”We do know that electricians are routinely inspecting and checking lines. The circumstances of how this happened we do not know,” Sierra said. Power lines were down in the area and traffic lights were out. Traffic was also being diverted in the area.

“I was dying of the heat and the fan was off,” said Tiffany Herrero, a resident of the neighborhood. “When I came outside I realized that there were helicopters flying everywhere and just there was essentially no power. All the neighbors were outside.”

Another neighbor, Julius Hall, looked at the scene not far from his home and commented to NBC 6 on how the morning that started out rather ordinary took such a tragic turn.

“[The contractor] went to work to provide for his family and he’s not going home and that’s very sad,” Hall said. “So, with the power going out, it’s a minor inconvenience for what that guy’s family is fixing to go through.”

“We are aware of a serious incident in Miami-Dade County involving a contractor who came into contact with a power line. Our thoughts and deepest condolences go out to the family of the individual,” FPL said in a statement Wednesday.

No other information was immediately known.

Reposted from NBC 6 South Florida, see the full story here