KC utility silent for days on facts of electrical lineman’s death: ‘It’s weird’
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- BPU posted a condolence on Facebook at 9:30 p.m. the same evening.
- BPU declined to confirm time, location or circumstances pending investigative reviews.
- BPU, as a municipal utility, is regulated by the Kansas Department of Labor, not OSHA.
On Sunday evening, July 12, within hours of being alerted that one of its workers, electrical lineman Joshua McKee, had been killed on the job, the Kansas City Board of Public Utilities, BPU, was quick to make a public comment.
“Today, the Kansas City Board of Public Utilities suffered the heartbreaking loss of one of our lineworkers while serving our community,” the municipal electric utility posted on its Facebook page at 9:30 p.m., only hours after the tragedy, which witnesses have since said occurred close to 6 p.m. “Our hearts are with his family, friends, coworkers, and all who knew and loved him.
“Out of respect for his family, we ask that you keep them in your thoughts and respect their privacy during this incredibly difficult time.”
The utility did not name McKee, a task taken up the next afternoon, Monday, on Facebook by Kansas City, Kansas Mayor Christal Watson, who honored McKee and offered up prayers to his loved-ones.
But for five days, and until Friday afternoon — when BPU, following continued media requests, released details on the incident — the utility had remained silent on specifics, declining to provide or confirm the most basic information on the tragedy, or acknowledge the details even after they had been revealed by witnesses or other sources.
Among those details: Where the incident happened, approximately what time it happened, and what kind of job McKee was called upon to perform when he arrived, as witnesses have said, at a utility pole near 31 N. 74th St. during a power outage about 10 miles west of downtown Kansas City, Kansas.
In multiple emails with The Star, Amber Oetting, BPU’s director of marketing said the utility had chosen not to reveal details pending the results of an investigation and “third party” review, or “when additional information becomes appropriate to share.”
“Because the incident remains under investigation,” Oetting said in an early exchange, “BPU is not in a position to confirm details related to the time, location, or circumstances of the incident. We are firm that those facts should come through the investigative process once they have been fully established.
“This isn’t a ‘no comment.’ Rather, it’s our commitment to ensuring any information released is accurate, complete, and based on confirmed facts.”
Oetting would later emphasize, “BPU complies with all applicable local and state reporting requirements and is cooperating fully with the appropriate agencies and authorities as they conduct their respective review processes.”
When asked, however, she would not name which agency or “third-party” was conducting reviews. Nor would she cite which “local and state reporting requirements,” statute or policy the utility is following.
“It’s weird. I’ll be honest with you. It’s strange to me that there’s like this wall of silence,” said Elizabeth Bailey, a trial attorney for Delaware-based Grant & Eisenhofer. Bailey is the co-chair of the Power Line Contact Litigation Group with the American Association of Justice, formerly known as the Association of Trial Lawyers of America.
“It feels strange to me that there is nothing to sort of satisfy public curiosity about this. … There’s so little information that it’s sort of inviting speculation where it may not be warranted. But we don’t have enough information one way or the other.
“But I would expect on a matter on a death that happened in public — that happened to one of their employees — that they would be giving a little more information. They know that people are interested. They know people want to know what happened.”
Revealing basic information such as where, when and under what general circumstances a fatality occurred is not the kind of information that places a utility in legal jeopardy.
“It doesn’t increase or decrease liability,” Bailey said. “That’s the kind of information that’s just sort of standard. I mean, these are facts, right? I can understand why they would be hesitant to talk about a potential cause. (But) we know something happened that led to a death — whether it was a power line contact or a heart attack — something happened.
“Those kinds of facts wouldn’t increase or decrease liability. It just is what it is. … This is just stating the facts of what happened, and those facts are primarily already out.”
What is known, witnesses have said, is that McKee was seen on North 74th Street, at his truck, shortly after 5 p.m., alongside a utility pole on the west side of the street during a power outage. About an hour later, neighbors heard sirens as an ambulance, a fire truck, and police swarmed the area. Other BPU workers were also on the scene.
A question among neighbors is whether McKee had been dispatched to the site alone or with a crew. BPU has not said.
On Friday afternoon, at about 3 p.m., BPU released details in a media statement.
BPU responds with details
“As the Kansas Department of Labor’s review is now underway, the Kansas City Board of Public Utilities (BPU) is providing the following verified information regarding the July 12 incident involving BPU Electric Distribution Department employee Joshua McKee.”
The utility extended condolences to McKee’s family, friends, coworkers “and all who knew him.”
McKee, 48, of Kansas City, Kansas, the release confirmed, died on July 12 while responding to a power outage in the Riverview neighborhood of Kansas City, Kansas. He joined BPU about 18 months ago.
The Kansas City, Kansas, fire and police departments responded to the scene.
BPU, it said, is cooperating with the Kansas Department of Labor as it conducts a review of the incident.
“From the outset, BPU has sought to communicate responsibly while the appropriate review processes are underway,” the statement said. “BPU will continue to share verified information when appropriate, while respecting the integrity of the ongoing review and the privacy of Joshua’s family.”
Investigations can take months
Across the country, utility death investigations are handled differently depending on the utility and ownership. Private and investor-owned utilities, such as Evergy in the Kansas City area, are regulated by OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
In the event of a fatality, electric utilities regulated by OSHA are required to report the death within eight hours of learning of it. Severe injuries must be reported within 24 hours. An OSHA investigation can take up to six months.
But BPU is a municipal utility. It is a not-for-profit, self-governed agency of the Unified Government of the Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas.
As such, BPU is not regulated by OSHA. It is regulated by the Kansas Department of Labor. When a serious accident or fatality occurs, the utility is required to report the incident to the state Department of Labor’s Public Sector Services Division. Under Kansas law, statute K.S.A. 66-132, a utility is also required to provide “immediate notice” of a fatality or serious injury to the Kansas Corporation Commission, the regulatory board that oversees electric, natural gas and other utilities.
Investigations can also take months or more in the event of filed lawsuits.
Other utilities have revealed fatalities differently
Whether utilities choose to reveal details following the death or injury of a worker tends to depend on the circumstances and the utility.
On June 3, 2018, Westar Energy (now Evergy) took one day to provide the details of when, where and the general circumstances after a piece of equipment with a high-pressure valve failed at a plant in Pottawatomie County, Kansas, killing two workers.
On Oct. 29, 2020, Ameren Missouri — which provides power to about 1.3 million customers in eastern Missouri, including the St. Louis area — reacted nearly immediately, providing details of when, where and generally how one of its workers was electrocuted.
In Wellington, Kansas, the City of Wellington Electric Distribution Department was quick to provided details on the death of a young lineman at the city’s power plant on Sept. 4, 2024, after the employee came into contact with an energized piece of equipment.
In contrast, on April 9, 2025, in Lexington, Missouri, it was not the gas utility, Liberty Utilities, but the mayor, city administrator and local fire, police and others who provided details after a gas main was struck, causing two homes to explode, damaging at least a dozen other residences, and killing 5-year-old Alistair Lamb. His father, Jacob Cunningham, and sister, Camillia Lamb, were rushed to a hospital.
Communication after that was handled by the National Transportation Safety Board, which was in charge of investigating the explosion.
Tribute to Joshua McKee
On Friday morning, hours before releasing basic details on McKee’s death, BPU on Facebook also posted a tribute and photo array in honor of the veteran lineman, while thanking the community for its support.
“Over the past week, we’ve seen our community rally behind us in ways that have truly humbled us,” the post said.
“Every prayer, kind word, meal, message, and gesture of support has reminded us how special Wyandotte County is. On behalf of everyone at BPU, thank you.”
The photos, the post said, “remind us that every uniform tells only part of someone’s story. Before he was the lineworker our community came to know, Josh was a son, a father, a friend, a coworker, and someone who enjoyed connecting with people.
“His kindness mattered. His willingness to serve mattered. But most of all, he mattered.
“And while our hearts remain heavy, we are tremendously grateful to have been part of his journey and deeply grateful to this community for standing beside our employees, especially Josh’s loved ones, during this difficult time.
“This is the Power of Community.”
