SAN ANTONIO — A lineman’s death has drawn an outpouring of support from the community.
Clayton Kloesel died early Tuesday morning while restoring power in a far west-side neighborhood, on what was a stormy day in San Antonio. The 32-year-old CPS Energy worker from La Vernia was a husband and father of three.
He joined CPS 11 years ago and worked his way up to becoming a lineman. And in that entire time, he worked alongside his best friend, Kyle Roberts.
“We carpooled every day, we made apprentice with each other, we made lineman with each other, we worked every day with each other,” Roberts told KENS 5.
Early Tuesday morning, amid storms, they were both out working with different crews.
“They hit the distress button and we heard it come over. I just got a feeling in my stomach,” Roberts said. “I didn’t know what crew he was on at the time, and I called and I called and I called.
"He never answered.”
Roberts rushed over to the scene off Percheron Pass near Culebra Road.
“I was with him the entire time,” Roberts said.
Kloesel had been electrocuted. First responders could not revive him.
“For some people, it may be, 'Oh, it’s just your light. ' But for us, it’s our job. It's our way of helping people,” Roberts said.
A community quickly rallied behind the grieving family. Roberts started a GoFundMe which has raised more than $102,000 as of Thursday night.
The neighborhood also organized a small memorial. Chris Simmons lives in that neighborhood and felt the need to reach out to the family to share his condolences.
He was just one of many whose power was being restored when tragedy struck.
“We have a person who was here to help us, people who he didn’t even know. The crew, they had no idea we even existed other than there was a power outage,” Simmons said. “So, I think that says a lot about this gentleman.”
Roberts said he is grateful for that support.
“He was a down-to-earth guy, and he was proud of what he did," he said. "I was proud of him."
CPS Energy is investigating the incident. Meanwhile, a funeral for Kloesel is planned for Monday in La Vernia.