Jeunelle Robinson, Wagener, South Carolina teacher killed after power pole falls on her during lunch break in freak accident as family lawyers seek $100 million for her estate.
The family of a 31-year-old high school teacher killed last week after a falling utility pole struck her in a small South Carolina town has called attention to what it decries as ‘poor rural infrastructure’, saying it contributed to an avoidable death.
Jeunelle Robinson was walking on her lunch break Aug. 23 down a Main Street intersection in Wagener when, officials say, a tractor-trailer snagged overhead power lines. That brought multiple poles falling to the ground, with one of them directly hitting Robinson so forcefully that she died later that day at a hospital.
Witnesses told WIS News 10 that the social studies teacher at Wagener-Salley High School tried to get out of the way before the freak accident.
A tragic death that could have been avoided
Relatives of Robinson are now seeking $100 million for her estate as well as a $10 million trust for an annual scholarship in Robinson’s name among other requests, WRDW reported.
A lawyer for Robinson’s relatives on Tuesday according to AP said the wooden post wouldn’t have collapsed so easily if utility companies had maintained equipment in the rural community as efficiently as they do in the city. Wagener is a town of roughly 600 people about 35 miles (55 kilometers) southwest of Columbia, the state capital.
State Rep. Justin Bamberg, an attorney representing the family, said the leaning poles in Wagener had been rotting. In a video played at a Tuesday news conference,
Commenting on the tragedy, Wagener Mayor Michael Miller, 69, said small towns like his aren’t a priority. One of the eight fallen poles had last been inspected in 2014, he added, and many had deteriorated.
‘You would not see a pole like some of those that we have in town here in Columbia or Aiken or Augusta,’ he told AP. ‘It’s just part of being a country town.’
Pt 1: Wagener-Salley High School teacher Jeunelle Robinson was walking down the street during lunchtime last Wednesday when her life was senselessly taken after she was hit by a defective utility pole whose rotten wood snapped after the utility lines were hit by a semi. pic.twitter.com/dxFGxG9C8p
— Justin Bamberg, Esq. (@JustinBamberg) August 29, 2023
Darker side of lacking investments from businesses
Bamberg said the incident highlights the ‘darker side’ of lacking investments from businesses relied upon by rural residents for necessities such as electricity.
‘The utter and complete failure from a lot of people who have more money than the state of South Carolina took her,’ he said.
It’s unclear which utility companies oversaw the poles at the intersection. Dominion Energy, which services parts of the area, acknowledged in a recently announced power line project that some electricity equipment needed replacing after 60 years in service.
Dominion Energy offers condolences but is reluctant to accept responsibility
Dominion Energy extended ‘deepest condolences’ to the family in a statement. The company said it is ‘too soon to provide any related details’ given the ongoing investigation into the incident.
State Sen. Brad Hutto vowed to examine utility regulations when the legislative session begins next January. He wants to ensure that companies report the results of their inspections and that some state agency monitors efforts to address any issues discovered by the utilities.
Bamberg is asking that utility companies invest $20 million into local power infrastructure and compensate the Robinson estate with $100 million for the family’s pain and suffering. He is also requesting $10 million to fund an annual scholarship for college students pursuing careers as public educators.
Robinson, a much beloved teacher at Wagener-Salley was in her second year teaching at the South Carolina school.
