Fisherman was fatally electrocuted while casting line at Florida pond, lawsuit says
The parents of a 29-year-old man who was fatally electrocuted while fishing at a pond in central Florida have filed a lawsuit over his unexpected death.
Tyler Keller, an Osceola County resident who was born in Philadelphia, set out to fish at a commonly used spot in Orlando on Nov. 25, according to his family’s attorney Todd Falzone.
As an avid fisherman, Keller was familiar with the property that has two ponds separated by a strip of land, where a set of power lines are located, Falzone told McClatchy News on May 9.
While fishing on this piece of land, Keller cast his line and it snagged onto broken power lines, according to the lawsuit, which says Keller was unaware of the damage.
As his fishing line got tangled, he was suddenly electrocuted and died, the lawsuit says.
His death is a “bizarre” and “terrible tragedy,” Falzone said over the phone, adding that the circumstances were “not something that I expected or knew could ever even happen.”
“He was by all accounts a really nice young man,” Falzone said. “He casted his line and … unfortunately a lure hooked directly into the power line.”
The power lines by the pond were damaged before that day and are maintained by Duke Energy Corp., according to the lawsuit.
One of the lines was hanging down “dramatically lower than it should have been” when Keller was fishing, Falzone noted.
John Keller and Ascension Kelly, Keller’s parents, are suing Duke Energy over his death. They’re seeking more than $50,000 in damages.
A company spokeswoman declined to comment and told McClatchy News in an emailed statement May 9 that “Duke Energy does not comment on pending litigation.”
The lawsuit says Keller “did not know, and had no reason to know, of the unreasonably dangerous conditions and risk of injury caused by the broken power lines.”
Duke Energy is accused of negligence by not maintaining its lines, not fixing the damage, and by not blocking off the strip of land where the power lines were located, according to the lawsuit.
Falzone said companies like Duke Energy “have to be really vigilant and careful about the condition of their lines.”
“It’s just abundantly clear in this case that they, for whatever reason, either didn’t get around to fixing it, or delayed fixing it or didn’t know it was broken … but they certainly have a very serious responsibility to make their facilities as safe as possible,” he said.
Keller previously served in the U.S. Coast Guard, according to Joshua Novak, another attorney representing his family. He worked for the company Ferguson before he died, Falzone said.
In addition to his parents, he is survived by five siblings and three grandparents, according to his online obituary.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better brother and best friend,” James P. Kelly wrote on his obituary’s tribute wall.
“I will cherish each and every memory that we’ve shared together. I will look after our family and I will make you proud. And most importantly, I will do my best to catch the biggest trophy bass in your honor. I love you and I miss you! Go birds,” Kelly said, with an eagle emoji added at the end of the post.
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