Lineman killed at work in Gadsden

Floridan Staff Report
Published: August 23, 2008

A Talquin Electric employee died Friday when he came in contact with an electric conductor, according to the electric cooperative.

Curtis King was one of two men who responded to reports of a tree that had fallen on an overhead power line with the lines down on the ground Friday evening.

The incident occurred at 431 Sawdust Road near the intersection of Highway 274 and Highway 65, according to a news release from Talquin Electric.

“Mr. Curtis King was a great man and a dear friend of Talquin,” said the report.

“Mr. King, an experienced journeyman lineman, was up in the bucket when he made contact with an energized conductor.  The Cooperative has an active safety program and is actively investigating the circumstances. Talquin’s employee on the ground responded quickly for help on the truck radio and Talquin’s dispatch notified 911.  Gadsden County EMS responded timely and Mr. King was transported to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital,” said the report.

An earlier report by the Tallahassee Democrat on Saturday, August 23, incorrectly stated that King was struck by a tree.  The fallen tree was the cause of the initial outage, according to Talquin Electric.

“Mr. King had been employed with Talquin since March 2001.  Prior to 2001, Mr. King worked for the City of Quincy as a lineman.  He will be greatly missed by his coworkers and friends at Talquin and the entire community,” the news release read.