18-year-old dies after touching power wire while cutting down tree

Will Greenlee, Treasure Coast Newspapers
Updated ·1 min read
2

PORT ST. LUCIE — An 18-year-old man died Saturday after police said he “made contact with a power wire” while cutting down a tree on a residential job site, Port St. Lucie police said.

Police and St. Lucie County Fire District officials at 11:20 a.m. went to the incident in the 2400 block of Southeast Sapelo Avenue. The location is east of Southeast Lennard Road and north of Southeast Melaleuca Boulevard in southeast Port St. Lucie.

The man was taken to a hospital, where he died.

The man was later identified as Wilson Lopez of Stuart, according to Sgt. John Dellacroce, spokesperson for the Port St. Lucie Police.

An 18-year-old man died Sept. 23, 2023, after he came in contact with a power wire while performing tree service in Port St. Lucie in the 2400 block of Southeast Sapelo Avenue.
An 18-year-old man died Sept. 23, 2023, after he came in contact with a power wire while performing tree service in Port St. Lucie in the 2400 block of Southeast Sapelo Avenue.

Dellacroce said Lopez was “elevated in the tree when contact was made with a power line.” Lopez worked for a tree service, Dellacroce said.

A man who answered the door Saturday at the home where neighbors said the incident occurred declined comment. An investigation into the incident is ongoing, police said.

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Will Greenlee is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Will on X @OffTheBeatTweet or reach him by phone at 772-267-7926. E-mail him at will.greenlee@tcpalm.com

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: 18-year-old dead after touching power wire while cutting tree