SAN JOSE – A Gilroy man has been identified as a landscaper electrocuted in a tragic tree-trimming accident in South San Jose on Monday afternoon, authorities said.
Pablo Gonzalez-Rincon, 33, was working in the 5000 block of Page Mill Drive when the accident was reported at 1:38 p.m. in the 5000 block of Page Mill Drive, near Branham Lane and Monterey Road.
Gonzalez-Rincon was harnessed to a tree and operating a chainsaw about 25 feet above the ground when he came into contact with a high-voltage power line, according to the San Jose Fire Department.
He died at the scene. Rescue personnel had to wait for nearly two hours to retrieve his body, until PG&E could shut off electricity to the site and ensure it was safe to approach.
“PG&E quickly de-energized the line,” spokeswoman Tamar Sarkissian said. “However, they had to take the additional precautionary step of grounding the line to make sure the scene was safe for first responders who would be working near the lines. Grounding the line ensures that no residual electricity remains.”
Cal-OSHA was expected to investigate the death, which is being treated as a workplace accident, authorities said.
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