ESTILL COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — The family of a beloved baseball coach and teacher who was electrocuted has filed a lawsuit against Kentucky Utilities Company.
Blake Crowe died May 9 in the front yard of his Estill County home. The lawsuit, filed in Estill County Circuit Court, alleges KU failed to take reasonable steps to properly maintain and manage its transmission lines, transformers, and/or breakers on or about Crowe's property leading to his untimely death.
Attorneys say Crowe was walking near a flag pole in his yard when he was electrocuted. They say the wet ground around him was energized.
They're looking into the possibility that low-hanging transmission lines may have swayed too close to the pole and that KU failed to ensure its lines and equipment didn't create life-threatening hazards.
Daniel Lowry, a KU spokesman said it stormed that evening and in a statement to LEX 18 he added, "We believe that the facts are that this was simply a tragic accident. Unfortunately, due to the ongoing litigation, I can't comment beyond that at this time. I can, however, point you to the report that we filed with the Kentucky Public Service Commission.
Attorneys for Crowe's family maintain he should not have died because he was using all reasonable precautions to protect his safety.
