Staff Reports
Two hardworking Americans died Thursday morning doing the job that keeps our lights on. A helicopter crew was fixing power lines near East Alton, Illinois when their aircraft hit the very lines they were trying to repair. The chopper crashed into a barge on the Mississippi River and burst into flames.
These weren’t desk jockeys or politicians. These were real workers with calloused hands who climbed into that helicopter to maintain the power grid that feeds our homes and businesses. They died serving their fellow Americans in one of the most dangerous jobs in the country.
Witness Adam Briggs was fishing when he watched the whole thing happen. The veteran saw the helicopter working the lines before it suddenly broke apart and slammed into the barge. He called 911 right away and filmed the explosions that followed for several minutes.
The crash happened around 11 in the morning about 20 miles north of St. Louis. Fire crews and police rushed to help but it was too late. The Missouri State Highway Patrol confirmed both men in the helicopter were killed instantly.
Officials had to shut down the mighty Mississippi River to commercial traffic after the crash. That means barges carrying goods up and down America’s most important waterway had to stop. The Lewis and Clark Bridge was also closed for hours.
The helicopter belonged to contractors working for Ameren, the power company. They were replacing lights and marker balls on transmission towers. These are the same towers that carry electricity to millions of homes across the heartland.
Now the feds are investigating what went wrong. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board want answers for the families of these two men. These workers deserved better than to die in a ball of fire doing their jobs.
This tragedy shows the risks that blue collar Americans take every single day. While others sit in air conditioned offices, these brave workers climb towers and fly helicopters to keep our country running. They are the backbone of America and we owe them our respect.
