An employee of the City of Palo Alto’s utilities department died Saturday in an accident that happened while a city crew was working to upgrade an electrical transformer, a city spokeswoman said Saturday night.
The city has not yet released the name of the worker, who was injured at about 9:45 a.m. Saturday as a five-person crew was working on an electrical transformer near East Meadow Drive and Middlefield Road.
The injured worker was taken by Palo Alto firefighter-paramedics to a local hospital, where he later died. None of the other workers was injured, according to a city news release. It wasn’t clear whether the man was electrocuted or if he was injured in another manner.
In the statement, Palo Alto City Manager Ed Shikada said:
“Our entire city family is saddened by the tragic loss of one of our own. Our condolences are with the family of our employee during this extremely difficult time.”
“This is a sad reminder of the risks involved in the critical functions that our utilities employees perform daily.”
The Palo Alto Fire Department Honor Guard is posted at the hospital to pay tribute to the City employee who lost his life, according to the release.
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