LAKE PLACID - The Highlands County Sheriff's Office is investigating the electrocution of a local forklift operator. Central dispatch received a call at approximately 10 a.m. Friday.

According to the HCSO press release, the accident occurred in a grove just south of State Road 70 East near Lake Placid. Details of the incident are still vague, however Public Information Officer Nell Hays said a forklift operator working in the grove entangled the machine in power lines and the machine caught fire.

A co-worker witnessed the accident and attempted to retrieve the fire extinguisher off the machine. In the process, the co-worker was electrocuted.

The victim was admitted to Florida Hospital in Lake Placid for care of injuries resulting from the incident, however all injuries are currently unknown.

The HCSO is investigating the incident as an accident.