A contractor running utility cables along Washington Highway in Greene County died on the afternoon of Nov. 25 as the result of what is being called a freak accident.
According to Sheriff Donnie Harrison, the contractor attempted to attach a cable to a pole when the line being strung across the highway sank too low. A passing tractor-trailer hit it, tightening the line around the man, who was working from the bucket of a utility truck.
Greene County’s Emergency Management Agency Director Joe Bashore said a passenger vehicle apparently hit the cable first. Then, the tractor-trailer heading in the opposite direction hit it, which caused the fatality. The contractor was pulled from the bucket by the action of the cable.
Witnesses said police and rescue personnel responded quickly, but there was little they could do for the man who was apparently killed instantly.
Washington Highway was shut down while rescue personnel responded, and traffic was rerouted.
Harrison said the incident is under investigation by the Georgia State Patrol and other agencies. At press time, the man’s name had not been released pending notification of his family.