Man perishes in fall when riding in bucket snagged by utility wires

Scene of deadly accident in Rengeley. (MSP photo)

RANGELEY, Maine - A man riding in the bucket of a bucket truck died on Tuesday when police say it struck overhanging wires and knocked him to the ground.

The bizarre incident unfolded as 10:50 a.m. when Franklin County Dispatch received a 911 call reporting that a man had fallen out of a bucket truck on Main Street. Emergency Communications Specialists dispatched Rangeley Police, Fire and NorthStar Ambulance emergency services to respond, but the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Maine State Police were contacted to assist in the investigation and learned that a 2012 Ford Econoline van equipped with a bucket lift was traveling south on Main Street (Route 4) in Rangeley when the incident occurred.

According to a press release sent out on Tuesday, the van was in motion when the bucket struck a set of utility wires suspended by utility poles across the roadway.

The deceased, who was believed to be in the bucket initially when it struck the wires, was not identified.

The van was operated by 31-year-old Anton Natachiev of Brooklyn, N.Y., and was doing subcontract work for Consolidated Communications..

The incident remains under investigation by Maine State Police and the Department of Labor.