2024
Brian Brown
16-year IBEW 1245 member Brian Brown was fatally injured while working with Wasatch Electric in Idaho on Sept 21. He was 50 years old.
2023
Jakob Stockton
Two-year IBEW 1245 member Jakob Stockton suffered a grave tragedy while changing a tire. Brother Stockton worked as a PG&E Vegetation Management Inspector. He was 21 year old.
Edgar Castillo
Foreman Edgar Castillo of Mountain F. Enterprises lost his life in a work vehicle accident at the age of 37 during the atmospheric river event. Brother Castillo and his passenger were traveling in a 100’ bucket truck in poor weather conditions and very steep terrain when vehicle left the roadway and went down an embankment.
2022
Jorge Soria
17-year IBEW 1245 member Jorge Soria lost his life in a workplace accident on Aug 24 at the age of 47. Brother Soria, a skilled worker with many years of line clearance tree trimming experience, was working for Davey Tree Surgery in the Boulder Creek area.
James Cory Dunne
Corey Dunne, nine-year member of IBEW 1245 and PG&E Working Foreman B, GC Gas T&D out of Petaluma, was involved in a pigging accident at work that left him in a coma, and he tragically passed away from his injuries. He was just 33 years old.
Robert Anderson
Robert Anderson, who worked as a lead electrical technician with PG&E’s Protection, Test and Automation team, collapsed while working at the FMC Substation in San Jose. He was rushed to O’Connor Hospital in San Jose, where he unfortunately passed away.
2021
Miguel Flores
Two-year IBEW 1245 member Miguel Flores was travelling alone east bound on Highway 37 in Vallejo when a semi travelling westbound hit the concrete center divider and jumped the divide wall, hit the truck that Flores was driving, resulting in the loss of his life. Brother Flores worked as a line clearance tree trimmer for Mario’s Tree Service, and had just turned 30 years old.
John Ostroski
Journeyman Lineman John Ostroski, age 49 from IBEW Local Union 222, was killed when the transmission right-of-way road he was driving on collapsed out from under the ton pickup truck he was driving causing it to roll into a ravine approximately 150 feet down.
Jonathan Cabrera
Jonathan Cabrera died in a mini excavator accident near Eureka, CA while working for Rokstad Power on May 28th. Brother Cabrera was a traveling groundman out of IBEW 47, and he was just 24 years old at the time of his passing.
2020
Scott Ramsey
18-year IBEW 1245 member Scott Ramsey, who worked for PG&E as a Water System Repairperson at the Balch Camp hydroelectric powerhouse, was involved in a vehicle accident while conducting road work in Fresno county, and tragically succumbed to his injuries. He was 48 years old.
Steve Wink
37-year IBEW 1245 member Steve Wink lost his life at the age of 60 while working the LNU Complex Fire in Vacaville. He was assisting first responders in the fire zone at the time of his passing.
Jimmy Wasdin and Travis Shull
IBEW Local 676 Journeyman Lineman Jimmy Wasdin, age 41, and IBEW Local 1245 Fourth Step Apprentice Lineman Travis Shull, age 29, lost their lives in a workplace accident near Fairfield, CA. The members were performing linework for Wilson Construction when their helicopter went down between Vacaville and Fairfield. Helicopter Pilot Roscoe Gray (not an IBEW member) also lost his life in the accident.
David Romero-Mendoza
Groundman David Romero-Mendoza lost his life in an off-highway vehicle accident in Santa Rosa. The 31-year-old was working for Mountain Enterprise, and had only been on the job for one month at the time of the accident.
2019
Ramon Tinajero
Wright Tree employee Ramon Tinajero was killed in an auto accident while travelling home from work. Ramon was headquartered in the Napa yard but was working in Novato.
Colby Kyle
26-year-old Colby Kyle from IBEW Local 852 out of Mississippi lost his life in a vehicle accident in the Garberville area while working for Wilson Construction.
Logan Ruhnke
Logan Ruhnke, age 33, died after he and a co-worker fell from an insulated work platform (baker board/diving board) on a transmission pole while working near Grays Flat in Plumas county. He was a member of IBEW Local 304.
2018
Jairus Ayeta
PG&E GC Apprentice Lineman Jairus “Jay” Ayeta died in an off-road vehicle accident while working to restore power in the Carr fire zone. He was 21 years old.
2017
Joseph Cooper
Joseph Cooper, a tree trimmer working for Wright Tree Service, was clearing trees from lines in Sacramento when he was involved in what is reported to have been an electrical contact incident. He was 41 years old.
2016
Nash Mayer
Line Clearance Tree Trimmer Nash Mayer suffered fatal injuries while doing drought-related vegetation work in Mariposa County on Dec. 1.
David Spurgeon
PG&E Marysville Meter Maintenance Tech David Spurgeon, a 28-year member of IBEW, died on July 22 when his vehicle flipped over into a canal while he was driving on a levee road.
2015
Kenneth Williams
Line Clearance Tree Trimmer Kenneth Williams died in a fall in Humboldt County on Dec. 30 while working for Wright Tree. He was 26 years old.
Cliff Bengs
PG&E Electric Crew Foreman Cliff Bengs, a 13-year IBEW member, died in Redding on Sept. 30 in what appears to have been a rigging accident.
2014
Chanthavy Chanthapaseuth
Chanthavy “Rick” Chanthapaseuth was fatally injured while working for Utility Tree service near Marysville. He was 40 years old.
2012
Tom Flippo
Troubleman Tom Flippo, a 38-year IBEW member, died Nov. 30 when his PG&E trouble truck collided with a steel traffic signal pole in West Sacramento.
Rene Curiel
Rene Curiel, a Line Clearance Tree Trimmer for Davey Tree Surgery, was struck by a falling tree and died on Sept. 27.
Curtis Zahourek
Curtis Zahourek, a 24-year Outside Line member, died in an on-the-job fall on July 27.
2011
Ryan Miles and Aaron Weiss
Two PG&E General Construction Linemen, Aaron Weiss and Ryan Miles, were killed in a vehicle accident when their PG&E truck went off the road in the Feather River Canyon area on Oct. 13. Ryan Miles was 29. Aaron Weiss was 31.
Carlos Amezcua
Carlos Amezcua, a Line Clearance Tree Trimmer Foreman with Davey Tree, died in an on-the-job fall Sept. 28.
Jon Christensen
Jon Christensen, a PG&E Lineman, was fatally injured in an electrical contact on June 21 while working in Tracy.
2010
Gerald Biedinger
Gerald Biedinger, a T&D Equipment Operator for PG&E, died August 20, 2010 in an electrical contact.
Maximiliano Max” Martinez
General Construction Lineman Maximiliano “Max” Martinez, Pacific Gas & Electric, died March 17 in an accident in a vault in Benicia, CA.
2009
Lynn Lowery
General Construction Lineman Harold “Lynn” Lowery, Pacific Gas & Electric, died October 7 after falling from a pole in Garberville, CA.
Aaron Thomas Dineen
Apprentice Lineman Aaron Thomas Dineen, Outside Construction, died September 22 in an on-the-job accident while working in Local 47’s jurisdiction in San Clemente, CA.
Peter Tololi
Apprentice Lineman Peter Tololi, Pacific Gas & Electric, died March 24 after falling from a pole in Firebaugh, CA.
2008
Troy Schafer
Rail Maintenance Worker Troy Schafer, Sacramento Regional Transit, died July 24 after being struck by a light rail train in North Highlands, CA
Phillip Baker
Utility Tree employee Phillip Baker died July 16, 2008 while working on a job in Palermo, CA.
Felipe Chavez
PG&E Lineman Felipe Chavez was fatally electrocuted on Jan. 11, 2008 while working on a power pole along Highway 193 near Cool, east of Auburn, CA.
2006
John Goeringer
John Goeringer, a new bargaining unit electrician in the Water Treatment Division at South San Joaquin Irrigation District, died Nov. 28, 2006 from head injuries after an apparent fall while working indoors at a water treatment plant pumping facility.
Arthur “Earl” Verbeck
Arthur Earl” Verbeck died Jan. 23, 2006 when a portable crane he was loading onto a trailer fell and trapped him beneath it. Verbeck, a heavy-duty equipment operator, had worked at the Sacramento Municipal Utility District for 20 years.
2005
Robert Sluga
Robert Sluga, a journeyman lineman working for Mountain Power under the Local 1245 Outside Construction agreement, died Nov. 8, 2005 following a jobsite accident. Sluga fell off the back of a John Deere Gator that was being used for transportation and hauling material. The transmission crew had been performing maintenance work outside of Ukiah, Ca.
2004
Kevin Knutson
Pacific Gas & Electric Lineman Kevin Knutson, 47, died on Jan. 13, 2004 while working on a 115 kv tower between Morro Bay Power Plant and the community of Los Osos. Knutson was initiated into the IBEW in 1978 and worked for many years in Outside Construction before coming to PG&E in 1997.
Randy Imai
Randy Imai, a 29-year member of Local 1245, died Jan. 5, 2004 from injuries sustained in a fall from a pole while performing work as a lineman for Pacific Gas & Electric.
2003
Rafael Barajas
Line Clearance Tree Trimmer Rafael Barajas, 33, suffered a fatal injury while performing storm response work for Asplundh Tree Expert Co. in the San Carlos area on Dec. 13, 2003.
Bill Baker
IBEW member Bill Baker, who worked in Outside Construction, died Oct. 1, 2003 while working in the Redding area on a job for Mountain Power.
Darrin Siegfried
Journeyman Lineman Darrin Siegfried, a traveler out of Local 44 in Montana, died from an electrical contact on Sept. 8, 2003 while performing work for International Line Builders west of Santa Nella, Ca. off Highway 152.
Local 1245 extends its condolences to the friends, family and co-workers of these union brothers who died in the performance of their duties.
For a complete list of all IBEW 1245 member death notices, click here