Man dies after electrocution in Addison, 3-28-17

A 51-year-old man died and another was critically injured Tuesday afternoon after they were shocked by power lines while trimming trees in an Addison backyard. Jose Fulgencio-Hueramo, of Melrose Park, was pronounced dead shortly before noon at Glen Oaks Hospital in Glendale Heights.

At about 11 a.m., Fulgencio-Hueramo and another person were cutting limbs in a backyard near Villa Avenue and Myrick Avenue in Addison when both made contact with the power lines. One individual was thrown from the ladder and landed on the ground, while the second remained stuck in the tree. After ComEd turned off the power, firefighters from Lombard and Addison arrived to rescue the trapped man.

"They were able to cut the power to the lines, and at that point firefighters from Lombard and Addison went up there and were able to extricate the gentleman from the tree," said Joe Leone, the Addison fire chief. The injured man was airlifted to Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove.

Police indicated that the victims did not appear to be working with a licensed tree-cutting service. It remains unclear how they came into contact with the power lines, but the incident has raised concerns about safety during tree-trimming operations near electrical infrastructure.