Local 1245 Members Who Died on the Job
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 Benecia, 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
Daniel Dennard
Daniel Dennard, an employee of Underground Construction, died July 19 when he was shot a short distance from his San Francisco jobsite after leaving work for the day.
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 Montain 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.