Man working on Spring Lake power line electrocuted

The Lee Electrical Construction crew was moving power lines near Overhills High School to accommodate the planned widening of Ray Road when a worker, Mitchell Williams, came in contact with a 7,200-volt line at about 11 a.m., according to an official with South River Electrical Membership Corp., which had hired the crew out of Aberdeen to assist with the project.

Williams was trying to reconnect a transformer at the time, and his co-workers quickly cut power to the line and lowered the bucket so they could begin resuscitation efforts.

Employees at the nearby Little Red Hen Academy day care center watched in horror as Williams was pulled down.

"The guys, they were in a state of shock themselves, but they ended up turning the current off," Shemika Johnson said.

"I'm looking out the door, and the white bucket that they work in, they were trying to lift him out of the bucket," Latesia McClain said. "They finally got him out, and they laid him on the ground, and one of his co-workers tried to give him CPR. They reacted real fast like they were trying to save him."

Investigators with the state Division of Occupational Safety and Health were at the site Thursday afternoon to determine whether any workplace safety violations occurred. South River EMC and Lee Electrical are conducting their own investigations of the incident, officials said.