Lineman injured during tornado recovery

A Carroll Electric lineman was injured during the storm recovery in Benton County last week.

Carroll Electric employee Calvin Cope was injured about 8 p.m. on Oct. 23 while working with two other employees during the storm recovery efforts in Benton County, according to Nancy Plagge, communications director for the company. It was not an electrical injury, she said.

Cope was transported to a local hospital and then transferred to a hospital in Springfield, Mo., where he is in stable condition, she said on Tuesday.

A Gofundme account to help Cope's family with the financial burden of travel, lodging and time away from work exceeded its goal of $10,000, raising $13,736 as of Friday.

Cope's family is asking for privacy so he can focus on recovery, Plagge said.

The Oct. 21 storm, which included two tornadoes and high winds, initially left more than 9,500 Carroll Electric customers without power, according to a report in the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. By Oct. 25, that number was reduced to around 100 customers, according to the company's website.

The storm left 328 broken electric poles, the website states. A total of 92 crews and 390 personnel from 31 organizations spanning three states helped Carroll Electric restore power after the storm.

General News on 11/03/2019