1 Killed, 1 Hurt When Tree Hits Power Lines
A Huntington Beach plant nursery employee was electrocuted Thursday and a co-worker hospitalized with burns after a tree they were moving became tangled in overhead power lines, authorities said.
The man killed was identified as Mario Negrete, 51, of Stanton.
The accident happened about 1:15 p.m. at Monroe Pacific Nursery, 10449 Adams St., when Negrete and another man were trying to move a large potted palm tree with the help of a third man operating a crane, said a spokeswoman for the Huntington Beach Fire Department.
“They were touching and twisting the bottom of the palm tree to get it into a different container when the crane operator heard a buzzing sound,” said the spokeswoman, Birgit Davis. The top of the tree had tangled with overhead power lines carrying 66,000 volts, she said, and “apparently there was enough moisture in the tree to conduct electricity.”
Negrete, who had worked at the nursery for 30 years, suffered cardiac arrest and was taken to Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach, where he was pronounced dead about 35 minutes later. “The crane operator performed CPR,” Davis said, “but he just couldn’t be saved.”
The other employee, described as in his mid-40s, was taken to UCI Medical Center in Orange and treated for internal burns.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
