View the Annual Meeting Recap video from Gerry here!
July 16, 2015 - A normal, hot summer day that was to be Gerry Kinney’s last day of work before a long vacation. Unfortunately, his time off of work was far from vacation.
“It was supposed to be an easy day. I was making a motion to tie in...a finger in the air in a circular motion.” Gerry didn’t realize his bucket was higher than it should have been. He remembers two occasions when he boomed the bucket up: once for a passing car and once to help his visibility. It was when he made that tie in motion that his finger brushed the 7,200-volt power line and changed his life forever.
Thanks to the heads-up work of his coworkers, Gerry was quickly loaded into an Air Evac helicopter and taken to Mercy Hospital in St. Louis. Their swift action likely not only saved Gerry’s life but also saved inches of his arms.
Gerry never lost consciousness and spoke with the crew the entire flight. His thoughts varied from, “How could I let this happen?” to “My wife is going to kill me.” His wife Denice
also works at Wayne-White Electric and was in the office that day. Before seeing Gerry for the first time, Denice knew that he was going to lose his hands. “I knew he was going to lose his hands, but when I saw they were black, I knew for sure.”
Gerry spent five weeks in the burn unit at Mercy and underwent eight surgeries. “All three surgeons that worked on me said they had no idea how I survived. They had never seen injuries like that because (patients with those injuries) never make it there. That’s a sign I’m pretty blessed.”
Fast-forward to January 2016 and Gerry began the process of gaining some of his independence back: by getting prosthetic arms. “I live with him and sometimes I forget he doesn’t have hands because he does everything like he always did. It might take him longer or he might do it a different way, but he does what he wants to do,” Denice said.
Although this may not be the path Gerry planned, not only has he survived, but he has thrived. He’s passionate about sharing his story to spread awareness of how important safety is. He’s travelled all over the country talking to cooperatives and line workers to spread awareness. He taught the Electrical Distribution Systems program at Frontier Community College for a period of time, re-energizing the program that continues to hold strong.
For the last several years, Gerry has continued to mow the lawn, trim shrubs, power wash buildings, and so much more. He did many improvements and electrical wiring for his
workshop at his house, where he likes to spend a lot of time tinkering. One project he has been working on lately is restoring an old Ford Mustang car, so do not be surprised if
you see him driving it around town in the near future!
After the accident, the Kinneys received much support from family, friends, community members, strangers, and of course their cooperative family. “Denice and I will never be able to thank them enough. They went way above and beyond.” In an effort to return their thanks for everyone’s giving and thoughtfulness, a scholarship fund was created with Frontier Community College to help fund a student participating in the Electrical Distribution Systems (lineman) program. Wayne-White Electric held a porkburger sale a year after Gerry’s accident as the first fundraiser in the effort and it has evolved into a golf scramble in more recent years. Since 2016, over $25,000 has been raised and awarded in scholarships for students.
Although they did not get to go on that vacation back in 2015, Gerry and Denice did finally make it out to their destination of the Hatfield-McCoy trails in West Virginia to ride four-wheelers in 2017. In fact, they are making that trip again in June of 2025.
When asked what he would tell members who continue to ask about him today, Gerry was temporarily at a loss for words. “There is no amount of thanks that Denice and I could give them (the members) for everything they’ve done...and especially everything the cooperative themselves have done. There’s no way to put into words how much we could
ever thank them or repay them. But I do hope that the members know that they should be very, very proud of their cooperative.”
All of us at Wayne-White Electric are proud to still call Gerry part of our Cooperative family and look forward to seeing what all he accomplishes in the next ten years.
