Erik Reyna-Wright was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said
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NEED TO KNOW
- A worker for a tree service company was electrocuted while trimming a hedgerow on June 10 in Exeter Township, Penn., authorities said
- The Berks County Coroner’s Office identified the victim as Erik Reyna-Wright, 31, of Reading
- The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the incident
A 31-year-old tree service worker was fatally electrocuted while on the job in Pennsylvania, officials said.
In a Thursday, June 11, updated news release, the Berks County Coroner's Office detailed the circumstances that led to the death of Erik Reyna-Wright in what is being described as a workplace accident.
Authorities said that on the morning of Wednesday, June 10, Berks County 911 dispatch was notified about Reyna-Wright, an employee for a local tree service company, who was in a bucket truck in the rear of a private residence in the 4000 block of Grant Street.
Authorities said Reyna-Wright was reportedly trimming a hedgerow “when the equipment he was operating came into contact with an electrical power line.”
Emergency responders administered first aid to Reyna-Wright, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, the coroner's office said.
An autopsy revealed that the 31-year-old man's cause of death was high-voltage electrocution, and the manner of death was deemed accidental.
The coroner's office said that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration was sending in an investigator as part of an ongoing workplace safety investigation.
Reyna-Wright, of Reading, was an employee of New Castle Lawn and Landscape, Inc., CBS affiliate WHP reported. The company acknowledged his death in a social media post on Wednesday.
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“It is with extreme sadness that we share that we lost a dear member of our New Castle Lawn & Landscape family in a tragic accident,” their statement read.
“Since our founding in 1994, New Castle has been more than a company, we are a family," authorities said. "The people who make up this organization are its heart, and today we feel that deeply. We are holding space for grief, for one another, and for those closest to this individual as we all navigate this incredibly difficult time."
“We are grateful for the compassion extended to our team by our clients and community, and we ask for continued thoughts and prayers for all those who knew and loved this person,” the company added.
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