A Water and Power Authority lineman was injured Tuesday on St. Croix while working on the islands recovery from Hurricane Lenny.
Benjamin "Benjie" Mitchell, a 28-year WAPA employee and supervisor in the utilitys line department, was in stable condition at Gov. Juan F. Luis Hospital before being transported to a hospital in Gainesville, Fla., according to a relative.
According to WAPA, Mitchell was burned while working near an energized primary feeder line in the Estate Profit area shortly after 11 a.m.
An appeal was made on WSTX radio for an ambulance to be dispatched to the area to render emergency care to Mitchell. Word of the linemans injury reached St. Thomas at Tuesdays WAPA governing board meeting, where members and Executive Director Raymond George were notified of the incident.
The authoritys assistant executive director, Gregory Willocks, remains on St. Croix overseeing the recovery project.
WAPA LINEMAN INJURED DURING POWER RESTORATION
Keeping our community informed is our top priority.
If you have a news tip to share, please call or text us at 340-228-8784.
If you have a news tip to share, please call or text us at 340-228-8784.
Support local + independent journalism in the U.S. Virgin Islands
Unlike many news organizations, we haven't put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as accessible as we can. Our independent journalism costs time, money and hard work to keep you informed, but we do it because we believe that it matters. We know that informed communities are empowered ones. If you appreciate our reporting and want to help make our future more secure, please consider donating.