Man electrocuted as helpless neighbours watch in horror during damaging Sydney storms.

A neighbour has described the devastating moment a father of three was electrocuted by a fallen powerline in Sydney’s south-west last night.

The 38-year-old man died in his driveway at Acacia Avenue in Punchbowl about 10:30pm following wild storms that had lashed the area and other parts of Sydney.

Neighbour Karen Adler said a number of residents heard a “massive, loud bang” and went outside to find electricity wires had come down.

“The guy has just come out of the house and walked into the driveway and he’s pretty much walked into the wire,” she said.

“We couldn’t do anything.

“The boys were trying to throw things at the wire to try and get the wire off him but they couldn’t touch him, they couldn’t do anything.

Ms Adler said the man’s family were screaming and in shock.

“[They’re] a young family with three children, so we’re all devastated,” she said.

At the time of the incident it had been raining only lightly and there was no lightning.

Visibility was limited due to a power outage after the earlier storm, Ms Adler said.

The man and his family had not lived in the home for long, she said.

NSW Ambulance paramedics declared the man dead at the scene.

Delay getting to the body

Fire and Rescue NSW Superintendent Mick Henly said it took emergency workers an hour to get to the man.

“There was a problem in getting to the deceased person because the power lines were still live, so the electrical authorities were called and there was a delay from isolating those power lines and making them safe before the emergency responders could get in there and assist the gentlemen,” he said.

A report is being prepared for the Coroner.

Ausgrid said in a statement the cause of the incident had not yet been confirmed, but an investigation was underway.

“Our thoughts are with the family at this time,” the statement said.

It reminded members of the public to assume that any fallen powerlines were live and to stand at least eight metres away.