1 dead, 2 injured after worker strikes power line in Faribault

A Waterville man is dead after being electrocuted Saturday afternoon in a construction accident in Faribault. Another worker was seriously injured.

Eric Hunter, 42, of Waterville, was electrocuted while working on a new senior living apartment building in northwest Faribault, police said.

Three workers were up in a boom lift, installing gutters on the building, when one struck a power line, according to a news release provided by the Faribault Police Department. A worker on the ground lowered the victims.

The city's police and fire departments responded to the scene, along with the Rice County Sheriff's Office and North Ambulance.

Hunter was taken to District One Hospital in Faribault, where he was pronounced dead. Another injured worker, Anthony Bendrick, 39, of Warsaw, Minn., was airlifted to a hospital in the metro area, where he was in critical condition. The third worker declined medical treatment.

"Our thoughts are with the family and friends of those affected by this tragic incident," Police Chief Andy Bohlen said in a statement.

JENNA ROSS