Washington, D.C. – A utility worker was electrocuted in Montgomery County, resulting in a tragic fatality. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers discovered the woman unconscious with a fallen tree on top of her upon arrival. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Witnesses, including Nodar Shovnadze, recounted the incident to DC News Now. Shovnadze, who was nearby, described hearing a branch crack and seeing the woman, who was walking her dog, attempt to flee before the tree fell. Despite immediate efforts from Shovnadze and others, they were unable to lift the branch and save her.
The fire department conducted a thorough search of the area but found no other victims. As of Wednesday afternoon, several arborists from the District Department of Transportation were investigating the cause of the branch’s fall. Contracted tree companies were on-site to remove the remaining parts of the tree.
Urban forestry experts with DDOT noted that the tree was in good condition before the incident and had been inspected in the spring of 2022 and pruned in the summer of the same year. The tree is believed to have been growing in Garfield Park for nearly a century.
Neighbors expressed their grief, describing the Capitol Hill community as close-knit, with residents often stopping to chat and connect.