A Palo Alto city employee died in an "electrical incident" Saturday while a five-person crew was upgrading a transformer, city officials confirmed.
The incident happened at 9:47 a.m near East Meadow Drive and Middlefield Road. The employee was taken to the hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries. No other injuries were reported.
The city on Sunday identified the employee as Donatus Okhomina, a "seasoned electrical lineman" who had started working for the city just this month.
"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,” Palo Alto City Manager Ed Shikada said in a statement.
Okhomina, 42, had served in the U.S. Air Force and had worked with both PG&E and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District before coming to Palo Alto, the city said. He leaves behind a wife and four daughters, ages 17, 14, 11 and 6.
California's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is conducting an investigation.
Bay City News contributed to this report.
