A contract road worker died Tuesday evening after being electrocuted at a Magnolia-Progress Road construction site, Pike County officials said.
Coroner Percy Pittman said Tony James Jr., age and address unknown, was working to replace a wash-out box culvert around 6 p.m. when the accident occurred.
Authorities believe James, who was working from a bucket truck, may have gotten too close to some power lines.
Pike County Road Manager Mike Duncan said this morning that he received a call about the incident but had few details.
“I received a call because someone heard it was a county employee, but I knew that wasn’t the case,” Duncan said.
He said he received another call confirming the accident.
Duncan said James was working for Laurel-based Magco Inc., which has a 105-day contract with the county to install a new box culvert on Magnolia-Progress Road.
Heavy rains washed out the old culvert in March 2016, closing parts of the road ever since.
Duncan said Magco has done business with the county before.
Pittman said he was on another death call in the area when he received the call about this incident.
He said responders worked for some time to retrieve James before transporting him to Southwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center by helicopter.
Pittman said he pronounced James dead at the hospital at 6:56 p.m.
Calls to Magco were not returned this morning.
