Man Electrocuted While Working Under Manufactured Home

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY, FLORIDA — A 22-year-old Sebastian man was electrocuted Tuesday after performing electrical work under a manufactured home in Village Green, Indian River County Fire Rescue said.

Investigators said the man was not a licensed electrician, and he thought the electric power was off in the home. But it was not!

The accident happened shortly before 1 p.m. Tuesday. Matthew F. Cummings, who wasn’t licensed or insured for electrical work, was hired by a homeowner on North 26th Street to do the electrical work, said Fire Marshal Brian Nolan. Cummings, of the 100 block of Keystone Drive, was cutting wiring underneath the trailer when he was electrocuted, Nolan said.

Nolan said that many people don't realize that a house current -- such as a light socket -- can carry a fatal dose of electricity.  “They thought they had cut off the power to the area he was working,” he said.

Paramedics arrived and performed CPR on Cummings, who was taken to Indian River Medical Center and pronounced dead, Nolan said.

Information from: The Stuart News, http://www.tcpalm.com