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Officials say worker was using cherry picker before falling to his death at Epcot

The Orange County Sheriff's Office said a Disney employee noted the worker wasn't wearing any safety equipment when she saw him.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Before a worker fell to his death at Walt Disney World's Epcot, law enforcement said he was using a cherry picker without safety equipment.

The Orange County Sheriff's Office said the 58-year-old man, not a Disney employee, was working outside the park near the Morocco Pavilion. A witness told police she was walking out of the park near the pavilion to throw trash away when she saw the man on a cherry picker. She told deputies he was trying to load the picker on a tow truck.

The witness said the man was standing up in the basket and was getting frustrated about not being able to get the equipment in the tow truck. She said she made eye contact with the man before continuing to walk past him. 

Deputies said the man then got down from the cherry picker and went to the cab of the truck on the driver's side. The witness said she saw him in the truck for a moment before he got out of the truck again and walked towards the cherry picker.

When she returned to the area, she saw Reedy Creek Fire Department on the scene. She told deputies the man was not wearing any safety equipment while he was operating the cherry picker. Deputies said no safety equipment was found near the scene except for safety glasses.

Other witnesses told deputies they saw the man "flying through the air" before landing on the ground.

The man worked for SunBelt Rentals, a company hired to do work in the backstage area of the park.

A SunBelt spokesperson released this statement to WKMG in Orlando:

"We are deeply saddened to learn of (the) loss of one of our team members in a tragic accident. We are working closely with the local authorities." 

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