Kansas City just lost a public servant, and the lack of clarity from the Kansas City Board of Public Utilities (BPU) has left some people feeling uneasy. On July 12, Joshua McKee, a 48-year-old electrical lineman, died while working on a utility pole. He was reportedly responding to a power outage in the Riverview neighborhood of Kansas City, Kansas. It took five full days of silence before BPU released verified details regarding the incident.
According to the Kansas City Star, the BPU initially posted a brief message on Facebook at 9:30 PM on the day of the incident, confirming the loss of a worker without naming him. While Kansas City Mayor Christal Watson stepped in the following Monday to identify McKee and offer prayers, the BPU itself remained tight-lipped. This silence allegedly persisted even as witnesses and media outlets sought basic information about the circumstances surrounding the death.
Elizabeth Bailey, a trial attorney for Delaware-based Grant & Eisenhofer and co-chair of the Power Line Contact Litigation Group with the American Association of Justice, reportedly expressed her confusion regarding the utility’s approach. “It’s weird. I’ll be honest with you. It’s strange to me that there’s like this wall of silence.”
Experts can’t think of why information might be withheld
Per the outlet, she claimed, “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.” Bailey noted that sharing basic facts about where and when a fatality occurred shouldn’t be a legal risk for an organization.
“It doesn’t increase or decrease liability,” Bailey told the Kansas City Star. “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.”
For those living near the scene on South 74th Street, the events of that Sunday were harrowing. As reported by KSHB, neighbor Dennis Jones described hearing sirens and realizing something was wrong when the electricity went out, and emergency responders swarmed the area. Another neighbor shared with the outlet that a family member witnessed the incident and called 911, describing a worker in a bucket truck attempting to cut wires before an explosion occurred.
Jones, who has experience in high-risk industrial safety, emphasized the inherent dangers of the job. “It’s just a terrible thing,” Jones told KSHB. “I used to work in a very dangerous job, and I understand the dangers of this, and these guys … they’re not appreciated enough for what they do.” Recently, a man didn’t even reach his dangerous job when an accident with a kite wire took his life. At another construction site, a basic chemistry error led to a massive fire.
Kansas City Star reported that the BPU eventually broke its silence on Friday afternoon, confirming that McKee had been with the utility for about 18 months. In their statement, they noted that the Kansas Department of Labor is currently reviewing the incident.
Amber Oetting, the BPU’s director of marketing, had explained in emails to the outlet that they were waiting for investigation results and a third-party review. “Because the incident remains under investigation,” Oetting stated, “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.”
As the community continues to mourn, KSHB reported that the Local 53 chapter of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) has also spoken out about the risks linemen face. In a statement, the union confirmed that although McKee was a member of IBEW Local 71 in Ohio, he worked closely with their members in the BPU line department.
“Linework is one of the most dangerous professions there is,” the union stated. “Every day, linemen climb poles, work around high-voltage electricity, and face risks that most people never have to think about, all to keep the lights on and our communities running.”
The BPU has since shared a tribute to McKee on Facebook, including photos from a school event he attended in 2025. They highlighted his life outside of work, noting he was “a son, a father, a friend, a coworker, and someone who enjoyed connecting with people.” As KCTV reported, the utility wrote, “His kindness mattered. His willingness to serve mattered. But most of all, he mattered.” Now, all the public waits for is details on how this tragic event came to pass.
Published: Jul 21, 2026 06:24 pm