Man dies after electrocution in Syracuse lift accident, police say

A routine painting job on Syracuse’s South Side turned fatal when a 43-year-old man working from a hydraulic lift about 20 feet in the air struck active power lines on the 200 block of Dr. Martin Luther King West near Cortland Avenue.

Syracuse police said officers, Syracuse Fire Department members and AMR Ambulance personnel were called at about 3:21 p.m. Thursday, April 30, after a report of a possible electrocution. Fire crews found the man inside the lift basket and waited for National Grid to shut off the power before the lift was lowered. He was then confirmed dead at the scene.

Police said the man appears to have been painting a residence when the contact with the energized lines occurred. Investigators said the death does not appear to be criminal in nature, but the case remains open and ongoing as officials work to reconstruct exactly how the lift came into contact with the wires.

The death puts a harsh local spotlight on the hazards facing painters, roofers, tree crews and other contractors who use aerial lifts across Syracuse and Onondaga County. The work itself is common on residential streets and commercial blocks alike, but the danger can be immediate when equipment is raised too close to overhead lines.

OSHA says the major causes of injuries and fatalities involving aerial lifts are falls, electrocutions and collapses or tip-overs. Federal safety rules require employers to determine whether the equipment, load line or load could come closer than the minimum approach distance to power lines before work begins.

National Grid warns that overhead power lines are not insulated and that contact with a person, piece of equipment or tool can be fatal. In a city full of older neighborhoods, dense utility corridors and active construction and maintenance work, the South Side death is a stark reminder that one missed clearance check can turn a standard job into a fatal accident.