ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A pair of construction workers are back on the ground safely after they got stuck in the bucket of a cherry picker 40 feet in the air Tuesday morning.
The high-angle rescue happened along the 2500 block of Consulate Drive in Orange County.
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Orange County Fire Rescue said in a Twitter post shortly before 11 a.m. that there were electrical wires touching the bucket but added that there was no medical emergency at the time.
Duke Energy arrived on the scene at about 11:40 a.m. to assist.
“When an incident occurs near power lines, Duke Energy de-energizes the line so first responders can work in a safe environment. Currently, Duke Energy crews are working closely with first responders so they can perform this rescue safely,” a Duke spokesperson said.
Technical rescue at 2500 Consulate Drive. 2 construction workers hit a transmission line with their bucket truck. Stuck 40 feet up. Line still charged. Extended operation. Duke energy 1 hour out. PIO on Scene. Media staging on Consulate. pic.twitter.com/nQ8NDtpoW9
— OCFire Rescue (@OCFireRescue) June 8, 2021
Officials said the workers were painting around 10 a.m. when the machine they were in backed up into a power line.
“So according to the site manager earlier, when they hit the line, the electricity went straight down into the ground instead of spreading out. It ended up blowing up the motor for the piece of equipment,” Orange County Fire Rescue spokeswoman Lisa McDonald said.
The two workers were safely rescued by 12:30 p.m.
“This is the best-case scenario, absolutely. They were rescued safely, they came out safely, they’re getting checked out, there are no apparent injuries. That’s the best-case scenario,” McDonald said.