SAN ANTONIO – CPS Energy issued a statement Tuesday afternoon in reference to the on-the-job electrocution of one of its employees.
In the email sent to KSAT 12 News, a spokesperson acknowledged the death of one of the company’s workers, Clayton Kloesel, and sent condolences to family members and loved ones.
The CPS Energy family grieves the loss of one of our own. Clayton Kloesel, a beloved husband, son, and father to three sons was a respected lineman who worked at CPS Energy for 11 years. Clayton’s wife and father are also members of the CPS Energy family, so this sudden loss is felt throughout our organization. He was a skilled journeyman and an active member of our Lineman Rodeo Team. We respectfully ask that you allow the Kloesel family and the CPS Energy family time to process this tragic loss.
Kloesel, 32, died early Tuesday morning while working to restore electricity in a far West Bexar County neighborhood.
A report from the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office says Kloesel was one of several CPS Energy crew members who had been called to the neighborhood off Pencheron Pass, not far from Culebra Road and Talley Road, due to power outages in the area.
Deputies responded to a call for help around 5:30 a.m. and found Kloesel dead.
According to a sheriff’s investigator at the scene, crew members told him they thought the electricity had been cut off when Kloesel ascended a utility pole.
However, at some point, they saw a bright spark, signaling a power surge on the electric lines, the investigator said.
Kloesel was electrocuted.
The investigator said co-workers attempted to revive Kloesel but he died.
Afterward, several people wearing yellow CPS Energy vests and hardhats could be seen reacting to the news of his death, holding their heads, and openly crying.
Another crew who showed up later appeared to be assessing the area where Kloesel was killed.
The company declined to offer any details about the accident or what may have gone wrong.