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Two men electrocuted in accident involving power lines

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Two men were fatally injured Friday when a cherry picker they occupied apparently was lifted into the power lines at a condominium community on Fort Myers Beach.

Juan Bocanegra, 37, of Fort Myers, and Dustin Manning, 30, of Bradenton, were performing maintenance work at Bella Lago condominiums in the 7400 block of Bella Lago Drive at Bay Beach, according to a release by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. The assistance call came in at 1:28 p.m.

Responding deputies found the two men dead, still inside the boom truck’s basket.

Bocanegra worked for J. Baller Construction, while Manning was employed for Cutting Edge Moldings.

“OSHA has established a professional emphasis program on overhead power lines because of the number of people getting involved in contacting those lines,” said Keven Yarbrough, acting area director for the regional office of the Occupational Safety & Health Administration in Tampa.

Yarbrough could not reveal any of the facts due to the on-going, open investigation.

“An investigator has been assigned, and he is currently involved in doing the ground work to find out what happened,” said Yarbrough

The cause of death appears to be an accidental electrocution, officials said, adding the official cause will be determined after autopsies are conducted by the Medical Examiner’s office.