A utility lineman in Curry County, New Mexico died Friday after being electrocuted while repairing a pole damaged by recent heavy rainfall. Ian Massey of Clovis, an employee of Farmer’s Electric Cooperative, was working near Curry Road 7 when the leaning pole fell into several feet of standing water, according to the Curry County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies and the Clovis Fire Department found him in the water and began rendering aid. He was transported to Plains Regional Medical Center, where he did not survive.
The circumstances are painfully familiar to anyone who has lived through a Gulf Coast storm season. After heavy rain or a hurricane, water pools in low spots and along roadsides, and poles weakened by saturated ground can give way without warning. Utility crews head into those conditions while the rest of us are told to stay clear. It is demanding, often dangerous work, and it is the reason power comes back on at all.
For Suncoast residents, the takeaway is simple. Never approach a downed power line, a leaning pole, or anything electrical that is touching standing water. Electricity travels through water, and the distance you think is safe may not be. Report hazards to your utility and stay back until professionals clear the scene.
Have you ever seen a downed line in your neighborhood after a storm? Tell us how you handled it in the comments.
