Police identify worker who died of electrocution in aerial work platform vehicle

Montgomery County Police have identified Osmar Daniel Chavarria of Frederick as the utility worker who was electrocuted in a cherry picker in Ashton on Tuesday.

Chavarria, 39, was working on the lift in the 200 block of Ashton Road when he “suffered an electric shock for reasons currently unknown,” police said in a statement Wednesday. No foul play is suspected.

A GoFundMe campaign was set up Tuesday afternoon, ostensibly to support his family. The campaign states that he is the father of three young children.

Shortly before noon on Tuesday, police and Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) crews responded to the construction site where Chavarria was working after an electric shock was reported.

According to radio transmissions, flames could be seen coming from the back of a Verizon emergency vehicle, but people on the ground could no longer see Chavarria.

The Baltimore Gas and Electrical Co., which was dispatched to the area to shut off power, had done so at about 12:45 p.m., allowing MCFRS crews to reach Chavarria, according to MCFRS radio transmissions.

Chavarria was pronounced dead at the scene, MCFRS spokesman David Pazos wrote on social media shortly before 1:30 p.m.

According to the utility’s website, more than 150 customers in the area were without power as of 1 p.m. Tuesday. Power was restored around 1:30 p.m.

After the incident, police closed Ashton Road between New Hampshire Avenue and Ligon Lane. According to the county, all lanes were reopened by 6 p.m.

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