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Jul 01, 2023

Family wants action after utility pole kills Wagener teacher

Aiken Standard reporter In the wake of Wagener-Salley High School teacher Jeunelle Robinson's death last week, her family is seeking answers about how this could happen to someone with a sweet and

Aiken Standard reporter

In the wake of Wagener-Salley High School teacher Jeunelle Robinson's death last week, her family is seeking answers about how this could happen to someone with a sweet and kind spirit.

“She was taken too soon and was a joy,” Donovan Julian said about his daughter while holding back tears at a press conference Tuesday.

The family of the 31-year-old teacher and their attorney, Justin Bamberg, are seeking $130 million in damages.

“All responsible parties that caused and contributed to this happening are who we are going after for the damages,” Justin Bamberg said.

Bamberg said the damages include $20 million from utility companies to invest in power utility infrastructure for the towns of Wagener and Salley, another $10 million for a scholarship that will be in Robinson’s name for any Aiken County students going to college to become teachers or any field in education, and $100 million for their loss and pain and suffering.

“We are asking them to do the right thing and if they choose not to then we will sue them,” Bamberg said.

On Aug. 23, a Peterbilt truck hit overhead utility lines, causing a defective utility pole to strike and kill Robinson as she walked down the street.

Bamberg said the pole that hit Robinson and other poles in the area are older than six decades and suffered from severe rot.

If the poles had been maintained or replaced, Bamberg told media during a press conference at his office, the poles wouldn’t have easily snapped or been pulled out of the ground.

He said towns in rural South Carolina have been facing issues for years in getting simple things like infrastructure solved.

“This absolutely could have been prevented if people had done their job,” he said. “The only reason why this happened was because a lot of people didn’t do their job. Period."

Bamberg became emotional during the press conference because he understood her perseverance in becoming a teacher and what she went through and wanted to do something to help the family.

“When I look in her eyes, I see myself,” Bamberg said.

Donovan Julian said his daughter loved people, enjoyed church and was loved by her family and friends. He said her students will miss her a lot because she made a difference in their lives.

“Those were her kids,” he said. “Her light and warmth will be missed."

Andrea Julian said one thing people don’t know about her daughter is that she struggled with school. She said the school wanted her daughter tested for a learning disability, but they refused.

She said her daughter worked hard to become a teacher because she knew firsthand what kids were going through in school.

“She was determined to become a teacher,” she said. “It was calling.”

Her mother said she wants the community to read Psalm 139:14 .

”I am fearfully and wonderfully made and would recite it when she was going through a lot," she said.

Andrea said she wants people to know that anything is possible.

Bamberg, a Democrat who represents Bamberg in the S.C. House of Representatives, said there are plans to file legislation that would hold utility companies accountable.

“We need laws that mandate that during an inspection and when a pole is flagged or something that needs to be replaced, the utility would then have to report that,” he said.

The goal is to eliminate risk to the public so similar accidents won't happen again .

S.C. Sen. Brad Hutto, D-Orangeburg, said he will work on getting some type of laws to help other rural towns in South Carolina.

“Someone needs to monitor these utility companies,” Hutto said.

Bamberg said Wagener-Salley High School will have a candlelight vigil for Robinson at 6 p.m. Thursday at the school.

Donovan Julian said the family has received a lot of support from the community, extended families and their church. He said it has become overwhelming and he feels thankful.

“The comfort to know that she has touched so many people,” he said.

Aiken Standard reporter

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