Father of 5 dies after falling nearly 100 feet into Columbia River at Hanford
An Idaho man who fell into the Columbia River on Tuesday while working on a transmission line near Hanford has died.
Cliff Johnson, 44, was strapped into a basket suspended from the power lines above the Columbia River when something broke, said Benton County Coroner Bill Leach.
The union lineman fell with the basket about 75 to 100 feet into the frigid river below, Leach was told.
Co-workers freed him from the basket and pulled him out of the river and started performing CPR.
Emergency crews from Hanford and Franklin County headed to the area at 2:30 p.m. after there were reports that he needed to be rescued from the river.
Hanford Fire Department ambulances rushed him to Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland. He arrived at 3:57 p.m. and died a little more than an hour later at 5:19 p.m., said Leach.
He said the Benton County Coroner’s Office will investigate the official cause of Johnson’s death. The coroner’s office looks into the death of any person who dies within 36 hours of being admitted to a hospital.
The state Department of Labor and Industries is also investigating the death.
Union worker for Avista
Johnson, of Sagle, Idaho, worked for International Line Builders, a contractor for the power company, Avista.
Johnson, a lineman with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, was working on non-electrified lines spanning the river in the Hanford Reach area.
Avista said Wednesday that all work has stopped on the project after the fall.
The utility company has been working on rebuilding and upgrading a 13-mile, 115-kilovolt transmission line. The powerline crosses a portion of the Hanford nuclear reservation site and the Hanford Reach National Monument.
“We express our deepest condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of the ILB crew member,” said Dennis Vermillion, Avista president and CEO.
“Our utility contract partners are an integral part of our operations, and we’re grateful for their commitment and dedication,” he said. “We are focused on supporting our utility family and all those who are impacted by this tragic loss during this difficult time.”
Avista is setting up a family assistance fund.
International Line Builders company leaders expressed their sorrow as well.
“Together, we are providing support for the employee’s family and each other,” a company statement said. “Counseling is being made available and we are establishing a memorial fund for the employee’s family.”
In addition, a GoFundMe account to cover memorial arrangements as well as other expenses for the family had already received more than $57,000 in donations by Wednesday afternoon.
He was married with five children ranging in age from grade-school to college.
“Yesterday the world lost a truly amazing soul,” organizer Derek Schafer wrote.
“Cliff’s zest for life and smile were infectious. He was a genuinely funny, kind, caring, hardworking and devoted family man, friend and IBEW lineman,” he wrote. “His family, friends and IBEW brothers are devastated by the sudden loss of Cliff.”
This story was originally published December 18, 2019 at 11:44 AM.