LAWRENCE COUNTY, Ohio — A Buckeye Rural Electric Cooperative lineworker was killed in an electrical contact incident Friday while working to restore power to cooperative members after Thursday evening’s winter storm.
Blake Rodgers, 22, Piketon, an apprentice lineworker with the cooperative, died following an incident that occurred just outside Pedro, in Lawrence County , Ohio, at approximately 10:15 a.m.
“Buckeye Rural Electric Cooperative is devastated by this loss and asks for the support and privacy of the lineworker’s family and the team as they cope with this tragedy,” a company spokesperson said in a statement. “The safety of our field workers is always our number one priority, especially when working in such hazardous conditions.”
Buckeye Rural Electric Cooperative has secured the assistance of cooperative and contract crews to help with power restoration efforts still ongoing in the region as lineworker crews cope with the tragedy.