A 54-year-old lineman with CPS Energy has died from injuries he suffered in a training exercise.
According to a company news release, Hector Castro Jr. died early Tuesday.
Castro, a 31-year veteran of the utility, fell during a training exercise at the company's Eastside Service Center on Oct. 1.
CPS Energy crews were placed on stand-down Tuesday for non-emergency work after learning of Castro's death.
"This is an extremely sad day at CPS Energy," said Leslie Real, CPS' vice president of Human Recourses.
Grief counseling services are being provided to linemen company-wide.
"Losing a CPS Energy family member is painful," said CPS Energy CEO Doyle Beneby. "I had the honor of meeting Hector and his wife earlier this year, when we celebrated his 30-year anniversary with CPS Energy. I'm deeply saddened to go from celebrating his service to our community to honoring his memory. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family now."
Castro leaves behind a wife, a son, daughter and grandchildren.
Training has been suspended since the accident.
"It's new training (and) something that we recently started," Real said.
If a worker gets into trouble on top of a pole, the other lineman is trained to go up the pole and lower his fellow lineman to safety.
Castro climbed poles on a daily basis, Real said.
An investigation is pending.