A lineman was killed Friday while working to restore power from the brutal winter storm in Pedro, Ohio.
Blake Rodgers, 22, was killed by an electrical contact while attempting to restore power, according to a post on Facebook by the Buckeye Rural Electric Cooperative.
A Buckeye Rural Electric Cooperative lineworker was involved in a fatal accident Friday, the utility said. https://t.co/fVcRSZbwLF
— The Herald-Dispatch (@heralddispatch) December 24, 2022
Rodgers was an apprentice lineworker with the company, according to the Facebook post.
“Buckeye Rural Electric Cooperative is devastated by this loss and asks for the support and privacy of the lineworker’s family and team as they cope with this tragedy,” the post reads.
Buckeye Rural Electric Cooperative serves approximately 18,821 customers in nine counties across southern Ohio, according to the company’s website.
At least nine people have been killed as a result of the winter storm that has affected two-thirds of the U.S., according to CNN. Cities as far south as Atlanta and Austin, Texas, recorded below-zero wind chills.
Approximately 200 million Americans were under a wind chill alert and more than one million lost power due to the storm, CNN reported. (RELATED: Major Airlines Bracing For Massive ‘Bomb Cyclone’ Over Midwest)
Meteorologists predicted a cold blast would hit much of the U.S. around Christmas back on Dec. 15. The storm was named Winter Storm Elliot by the Weather Channel.