Tree contractor dies while working near power lines in Delta Township, utility says
DELTA TWP. — A tree contractor was electrocuted Thursday morning after touching a wire, according to a statement from the Lansing Board of Water & Light.
"We deeply regret and are saddened by this death and our thoughts are with the family and friends during this difficult time," said Dick Peffley, the utility's general manager, in a statement.
The worker was a private tree contractor and was not associated with the municipal utility, but BWL crews volunteered to work with first responders to remove the victim from a tree, according to the statement. The worker's company was not provided in the statement.
The Eaton County Sheriff's Office said deputies responded to the 4000 block of Norwick Street in Delta Township about 10:25 a.m. for an unknown problem. The Delta Township Fire Department referred questions about the incident to the utility. Township Fire Chief Gregg Ginebaugh did not immediately return a message left for him by the State Journal.
The worker's death is the fifth potentially linked to the Aug. 24 storm. Vernita Payne, 84, died after a tree fell on her Lansing home. A 40-year-old Grand Rapids man, who Ingham County Sheriff's Office officials have not identified publicly, was killed when a tornado struck Interstate 96 near Webberville and flipped 17 tractor trailers.
The deaths of two people in Lansing are under investigation for potential carbon monoxide poisoning after they were found in a home where a generator was running.
Thursday's incident left about 1,200 households without power, an outage that was expected to be quickly restored.
The outage affects the St. Joe Highway and Snow Road area in Delta Township, according to a Facebook post from the Delta Township Fire Department. The post also said the township's firefighters are assisting.
There have been several tree and/or electric-related deaths in Michigan this year, according to a Michigan OSHA database.
A tree trimmer died in Battle Creek in June, due to a falling tree. A firefighter was electrocuted by a power line amid falling limbs in Paw Paw in February. A laborer died in a tree-pulling incident in Port Sanilac in April. A maintenance journeyman died after being struck by a radiator while working at an electric substation in Clarkston in April.
This is a developing story, refresh for the latest information.
State Journal reporter Ken Palmer contributed to this report.
Contact Mike Ellis at mellis@lsj.com or 517-267-0415
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Tree contractor dies while working near power lines in Delta Township
