Wagener-Salley teacher killed by falling power pole on Main Street

WAGENER, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - A Wagener-Salley High School teacher has died after a power pole fell after an accident on Main Street North in Wagener.

The tragedy has left the town in shock.

According to the Aiken County Coroner’s Office, the teacher has been identified as 31-year-old Jeunelle Robinson.

“Our prayers are with her,” said the Mayor. On Thursday morning around 7:45 a.m., a special time of prayer around the flagpole at the school will be held in honor of Robinson.

Robinson was a Social Studies teacher at the school.

“It’s hard for small towns to make it in certain situations that nobody is prepared for,” said Mayor Michael Miller.

South Carolina Highway Patrol says the accident happened on Main Street at Pickens Street.

“You can see the power poles and power lines was on the ground. And then all the first responders come flooding in,” said Richard Stean, a local in Wagener.

Robinson was walking southbound on Main Street when a Peterbilt tractor-trailer, traveling north, struck overhead powerlines causing a power pole to fall on her, according to South Carolina Highway Patrol.

Witnesses say Robinson was walking down main street on her lunch break from school; she tried to get out of the way but couldn’t.

The mayor and locals say law enforcement and emergency responders did everything they could.

According to Aiken County dispatch, the call came in at 12:34 p.m. on Wednesday.

Robinson was taken to Aiken Regional and then flown to Augusta University, troopers say.

The accident caused multiple power lines to fall in the area.

Dominion Energy says the truck broke several utility poles and brought down energized lines. Around 25 customers were impacted. Power was restored around 5 p.m.

“It shut down the whole middle of town for several hours but we had plenty of help volunteers just off the street. Our fire department is excellent. Our police department is excellent and they did a good job,” said the Mayor.

The high school was placed on soft lockdown due to the proximity of the accident to the school and to limit movement within the school building, according to the school’s website.

Counselors will be on campus on Wednesday afternoon and will be available the remainder of the week to students and staff as needed.

All afterschool activities for Wednesday have been canceled, according to the school. The open house scheduled for August 24 has also been canceled. School officials say to look out for the rescheduled date and time.

The Wagener-Salley High School football game will also be canceled on Friday, according to the school.

Busbee Elementary School officials stated, “Students, staff, and community, in of Wagener Salley High School, Open House will be postponed due to yesterday’s accident. Thank you in advance for your understanding. A new date will be discussed and sent out at a later date.”

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Wagner Salley High School staff, Students, and teachers tonight. We are praying hard for the Family and Friends of the injured teacher. May God touch and heal each and everyone of you,” said the Wagener Police Department in a Facebook post.

“This tragedy is devastating to all of us as Ms. Robinson was in her second year teaching social studies at Wagener-Salley. Over the past year, she became friends with numerous colleagues and developed meaningful relationships with many of our students,” said the school in a statement. “Genuine and sweet to everyone she encountered, her time here at our school and on this earth feels much too short.”

An autopsy is scheduled for Thursday.

South Carolina Highway Patrol, Aiken County Coroner’s Office, and Wagener Police Department are investigating the crash.

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