SEMINOLE, Fla. (WFLA) — On Tuesday, a tragic electrical accident resulted in two men being critically injured and one losing his life at a power facility in Pinellas County.
“It’s hard… when people you love… you spent so much time with… go through that. It was pretty gut-wrenching,” said Jesse Getford, who previously collaborated with the three men in Clearwater and is spearheading fundraising efforts for their families.
The three linemen, contractors with Duke Energy, were engaged in installing a new power pole, as reported by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. At approximately 1:30 p.m., a “boom operator” on site inadvertently hit a pole and power line, which led to an explosion.
Matt Waldrop from North Florida and Jeff Busch from Polk County sustained life-threatening electrical burns and were hospitalized. Justin Bryan from Hernando County tragically lost his life.
“I’m just heartbroken,” Getford said.
Investigators from the sheriff’s office spent much of Tuesday probing the fatal incident. Duke Energy informed 8 On Your Side that about 14,000 individuals experienced power outages, but electricity was restored by Tuesday night.
“They were all fathers. All of them are sole providers for their families,” Getford said.
Waldrop and Busch are currently stable, according to Getford. The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office presently considers the electric shock incident accidental, while OSHA is also conducting its own investigation.
