A worker was inspecting an aerial lift at a rental business in southeastern Minnesota when the apparatus touched a live electrical power line and inflicted fatal injuries, authorities said Friday.
Worker died as aerial lift was being inspected, struck power line in Byron
The victim was identified as a 37-year-old man from Rochester.
March 28, 2020 at 9:49PM
The incident occurred shortly after 7 a.m. Thursday at a Duke Rentals outlet in Byron and killed mechanic Anthony J. Streed, 37, of Rochester, the Olmsted County Sheriff's Office said.
"It appears that Streed raised the lift platform to perform a final inspection on the lift unit prior to the unit being rented," read a statement from Capt. Scott Behrns.
Streed was on the platform when the lift's boom rose into the power lines and presumably electrocuted him, the Sheriff's Office said. The emergency responders had to stand by as Streed remained on the elevated platform until Xcel Energy utility workers could arrive, disconnect the power lines and allow the boom to be lowered.
Streed's mother, Janelle Streed, wrote on Faceboook that "we will not be able to hold a funeral for him until the danger for everyone passes" from the coronavirus pandemic.
The governor said it may be 2027 or 2028 by the time the market catches up to demand.
