A Charlevoix family has been devastated since the tragic death of a lineman on a construction site in Sainte-Praxède, in Chaudière-Appalaches, on December 5. This “exciting but trying” job has claimed a second victim in six years in their clan.
“We are all completely stunned. The weekend behind was extremely difficult with the funeral. We have the impression of reliving the same bad film… Why does this still happen to us? wonders Félix Tremblay, the brother-in-law of Jacky Desbiens, who died earlier this month at age 56, and cousin of Daniel Carré, another lineman who died on the job in 2018.
Jacky Desbiens, a 56-year-old lineman, died on December 5, 2024. In the photo, he is seated on the front seat and accompanied by his best friend, Daniel Carré, who also died in the course of his duties as lineman line in 2018.
Photo LUCIE CARRÉ
Like his best friend who died six years previously, Jacky Desbiens was working at height on the assembly of an electrical pylon for GLR Inc., a Hydro-Québec subcontractor, when misfortune struck. According to his relatives, including one who was on the construction site, a metal pulley weighing more than 1000 lbs fell on him due to a technical problem, leaving him with no chance of survival.
“My partner works for the same company. He told me that Jacky is the most careful guy he knows and that he wasn't reckless. The weather was bad and he never saw the coin arrive. It’s terrible luck,” laments Lucie Carré, a long-time friend of the fifty-year-old who lost his life.
Frustration
The La Malbaie resident was suddenly plunged back into the same kind of grief as when her brother, Daniel, fell more than 40 m from the top of a pylon due to three technical failures and a human error in March 2018.
The CNESST confirmed that the company has made the necessary fixes to improve the safety of its linemen since the death of Daniel Carré. Despite everything, anger mixes with the pain of having lost a second loved one for the family.
Died at the age of 56, lineman Jacky Desbiens had unconditional love for his grandchildren, according to those close to him. Despite their young age, the late grandfather was able to pass on his passion for the great outdoors to them before tragically dying.
Photo taken from FACEBOOK, JACKY DESBIENS
“My father was a lineman in the 1970s and 1980s, and the methods are practically the same in 2024,” complains Félix Tremblay, himself a foreman for a telecommunications company. In the United States, they work with helicopters and cranes. In Quebec, we are still climbing structures, because it costs less.”
“A real good guy”
The brother of Jacky Desbiens' wife says he has never seen so many people gathered in Petit-Saguenay as for the funeral last Saturday. The deceased was even treated to long applause in church.
Died at the age of 56, lineman Jacky Desbiens was a passionate hunter and fisherman.
Photo taken from FACEBOOK, JACKY DESBIENS
“He was a bon vivant who was very involved in the community. A unifying guy who invited everyone to come to his maple grove, his retirement project,” says Mr. Tremblay, who admits to having difficulty conjugating in the imperfect when it comes to his brother-in-law.
“We're all thin when we die, but he was a real good guy. His greatest happiness was to have become a grandfather in his last years. He was so proud of his grandchildren,” concludes Lucie Carré about her great friend who was passionate about hunting and fishing.
Accidents and deaths among power grid workers
- 4 deaths between 2019 and 2023
Workers who are victims of a non-electrical accident (struck by an object; body reaction; excessive effort; exposure to noise; falls)
- 2019: 272
- 2020: 329
- 2021: 446
- 2022: 437
- 2023: 414
Workers victims of electrocution or electrification
- 2019: 3
- 2020: 2
- 2021: 5
- 2022: 9
- 2023: 7
*Source: CNESST (Data includes power system electricians, power line fitters and telecommunications equipment installers.)
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