Worker dies in Carrollton after electrical shock

By Ty Tagami

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A worker died after suffering an electrical shock Thursday morning while installing a heating and cooling system in a house attic in the west Georgia town of Carrollton.

Matthew Hughes, 31, suffered burns from the incident, and a coroner will determine whether electrocution was the cause of his death, said Capt. Ken Thompson of the Carrollton Fire Department.

"It looks like the power may have gotten switched on by accident, but that hasn't been determined yet," Thompson said.

He said Hughes, of Tallapoosa, and another employee, who suffered minor injuries, were working for Maxwell Heating & Cooling, Inc. The other employee suffered first-degree burns to his hands, Thompson said.

Officials with Maxwell Heating & Cooling in Carrollton did not respond to a call seeking comment.

The two workers were replacing an air system in a house on Canterbury Drive in Carrollton, Thompson said.