CHESAPEAKE, Va. - A 39-year-old man who was shocked while trimming trees at Greenlawn Memorial Gardens on 3920 Airline Boulevard has died as a result of his injuries.
Police have identified the victim as Muhammad Abdur-Raheem of Newport News.
The call came in Monday at 3:46 p.m.
When emergency crews arrived, they saw Abdur-Raheem suspended in a tree.
Officials say he hit a power line while cutting a tree and was shocked.
The 39-year-old was taken to Maryview Medical Center with life threatening injuries where he later died.
Lucas Tree Experts confirms with News 3 the man worked for the company just over a year and came in with six years of experience. The company says he was a good employee.
Abdur-Raheem's neighbor in Newport News, William Lee, says he was more than that.
"He was just like a son to me," said Lee. "Everybody that knows him already knows how good of a person he was, how hard of a worker he was."
A safety team was sent to the cemetery Tuesday morning to work with the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) to find out more about what happened.
Dominion Power says Lucas Tree Experts was contracted to do routine work clearing trees away from the power line.
The utility released the following statement about the incident:
We are saddened by this news. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mr. Raheem’s family and his fellow employees at Lucas Tree Experts. The safety of our employees and the contractors who work for us is always Dominion’s first priority.
The incident is under investigation.
