BREAKING NEWS: Industrial Accident Kills 1

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SEBRING - One Jahna Concrete employee was killed and another was hospitalized, in what is being called an industrial accident Monday afternoon behind the Fairmount Cinema Square shopping center.

A boom from a cement pumping vehicle struck a power line, according to Freddie Jahna, of Jahna Concrete on Monday evening.

Three employees were working at the construction site of the new Social Security office building, Jahna said.

The employee that was killed was on the mixer truck, he said. The second employee who was injured was standing nearby. He was taken to an area hospital for treatment.

The third escaped without serious injury, he added.

Sebring Police Sgt. Andrew Markham said Monday evening that the accident site was kept clear due to the electrical power flowing through all three Jahna vehicles on site.

"The boom struck three main wires," Markham said. "It was so hot it was absorbing oxygen out of the air. Rescue workers were having trouble breathing. We had to wait for Progress. It was a hot scene."

Power had to be cut from several directions, Markham added.

"All the vehicles were hot (charged with electricity)," he said. "The trucks had their shoes lowered into the boom apparatus and connected to a receiver on the cement pump vehicle."

The names of the employees were not yet available pending notification of the next of kin. The man who was killed had worked for Jahna for seven years.

A spokesperson for the Fairmount Cinema said it lost power for about 15 minutes, but it had been restored.

Power was initially cut to thousands of homes, however that was quickly restored, according to Cherie Jacobs, spokeswoman for Progress Energy.

About 500 customers, including residents of Colony Point Mobile Home Park, may remain without power for several hours, while Sebring police and emergency officials conduct an investigation.

Jahna sent new tires for its truck, because the mixer truck tires burned due to the electrical charge, so it could be moved.

Sebring Police were conducting an active investigation, said Sebring Police Cmdr. Steve Carr.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has been notified, Carr said. It would accept the results of the police report as part of its investigation, Markham said.

Highlands Today reporters Mandy Sheets and Dan Fearson contributed to this report.

Watch the Highlands Today online for updates.