Local
Person dies in electrical incident at downtown Austin construction site
One person died Friday at a construction site on Reserve Road after an electrical incident, Austin officials said. A second person was rescued and evaluated at the scene but did not need hospital transport.
One person died Friday afternoon at a downtown Austin construction site after being electrocuted, according to the Austin Fire Department.
Austin police received an urgent welfare-check call at about 2:41 p.m. for the site on Reserve Road, where the person was pronounced dead, police said. Authorities have not released the person’s identity or described how the electrical incident occurred.
A second person was found safe and assessed by Austin-Travis County EMS, but did not need to be taken to a hospital, EMS Captain Christa Stedman said.
The electrical hazard made it unsafe for responders to reach the first person for an extended period, Stedman said. Austin Energy crews were called to shut off a power line near the two people. The first utility truck was too small for the work, so a larger truck was dispatched with a police escort, the fire department said.
Firefighters used a ladder truck’s bucket to bring the surviving person to safety and then retrieve the person who had died. Officials had not provided further information about the circumstances of the incident or any investigation by Friday evening.