Tree service employee dies after crane accident

A Gaston's Tree Service employee was killed Saturday after being electrocuted while working. When the man was dumping mulch with a crane at 21812 N.W. 91st St., the crane accidentally broke a set of power lines, said Alachua County Fire Rescue spokeswoman Carol Davis.

Davis said when the man got out of the truck he was electrocuted because he touched the truck and the ground at the same time. The hydraulic fluid from the crane leaked onto the broken power lines and started a fire, Davis said. Officials have not been able to determine if the man's death was a result of the electrocution or the fire, said Alachua County Sheriff's Office spokesman Steve Maynard.