Electric Power Line Installation and Repair Fatality File

Man electrocuted while working on powerlines, electric company says.

A utility worker died by electrocution on Jan. 11, 2023, in West Virginia. (WVVA)

MERCER COUNTY, W.Va. (WVVA/Gray News) – A utility worker in West Virginia died by electrocution while on the job Wednesday.

West Virginia State Police said 24-year-old Daniel McGrath was installing fiber optic wire while working on a bucket truck near a road in Oakvale.

American Electric Power said it was contacted by the Mercer County 911 Center that afternoon.

WVVA said AEP was asked to turn off the power to a utility pole in Oakvale.

AEP reported McGrath had come into contact with a line on that pole, and first responders were unable to move his body until the power was cut.