Oct. 14--A construction worker died Monday afternoon after the lift he was operating came in contact with power lines at an apartment building under construction a block from UNC Charlotte.
The incident happened around 2 p.m. on Sandburg Avenue, near the main entrance to the university, according to first responders.
Firefighters say the contractor was in a lift bucket when he was shocked by a power line carrying 12,000 volts.
Photos from the scene showed yellow caution tape near apartments under construction and a blue and gray self-powered construction lift that appeared to be touching power lines.
Police have not released the worker's name, or said what company employed him.
Firefighters said they were on scene for a high-angle rescue. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police assisted firefighters, but just before 3 p.m., paramedic crews reported that the construction worker had died.
The power was briefly interrupted at the nearby Town Center Plaza Harris Teeter supermarket and several stores in the same business park as crews tried unsuccessfully to save the man.
Copyright 2013 - The Charlotte Observer
