Worker Dies After Amarillo Electrical Accident
An electrician died on Sunday morning from injuries he sustained in an on the job accident.
Details of the On the Job Accident
Roper Copelin, 30, died at 4:42 AM Sunday at the University Medical Center Timothy J. Harnar Regional Burn Center in Lubbock.
Keath Garrison, who is Copelin’s boss and had been working alongside him when the accident occurred, survived his injuries and is also currently being treated at the burn center in Lubbock.
Garrison and Copelin were drilling on the second floor of a parking garage under construction in a building that is the future home of Xcel Energy at the corner of Eighth Avenue and Buchanan Street.
Southwest General Contractors, Opus Design Build, L.L.C., and several other subcontractors, are involved in the construction. Employees on the scene Saturday said the two workers might have made accidental contact with electrical lines.
About the Victims
Tangela Copelin said her son, Roper, was single and lived in Amarillo and had been working alongside Garrison at A1 Electric for about four years.
“When they were behind on jobs they would work on Saturdays,” Copelin’s mother said. “They worked together a lot, and whenever he could Keath would ask for Roper. They were much more than just coworkers.”
Garrison is married and has two children, Tangela Copelin said.
GoFundMe accounts for Copelin and Garrison and their families were set up by Landon Shane Walker.
