A 21-year-old lineman apprentice from Fort Worth lost his life last week after an electrical arc flash occurred while he was working on power lines in a bucket truck in South Fort Worth — and the crew that knew him is now grieving one of their own.
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as Ryan Vargas, 21. Fort Worth firefighters responded to a call reporting a possible electrocution involving two linemen working in the area. Both were transported to an area hospital in critical condition. Vargas did not survive his injuries. The second lineman was also injured; his current condition has not been publicly released. The exact cause of the incident has not been officially disclosed, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Those who worked alongside Vargas described him as a dedicated and uplifting presence within the tight-knit lineman community.
Chris Ritzer, a fellow lineman who had trained alongside Vargas for more than a year, said the two remained close even after moving to different companies. They spoke almost every week. The night before the accident, the two talked by phone — ending the call as they always did.
“All I hear from the phone is, ‘All right, Chris… and all right, Ryan,'” Ritzer told WFAA. “Those were the last two words I spoke to him. If you believe in God, that was the goodbye I needed.”
Ritzer described Vargas as someone who brought calm and a positive spirit to the crew, even in the most difficult moments. “Ryan was one of those who was always there,” he said. “He believed his job was to be there.”
A fundraiser has been established for Vargas’s family, raising thousands of dollars in the days following his death. Workplace safety on high-voltage power lines remains one of the most hazardous occupations in the country, with electrical arc flash incidents among the leading causes of fatal injuries for linemen.
The investigation into the cause of the arc flash that killed Vargas is ongoing.