Worker killed in accident on wind energy construction site in Natrona County

A worker died Aug. 5 when the crane he was operating toppled at a wind farm construction site in remote Natrona County, state and local officials say.

The victim, John William Hoffpauir, Jr., 55, of Houma, Louisiana, was working as a crane operator at the Cedar Springs wind energy construction site north of Casper and Glenrock under the control of Blattner Energy at the time of the accident. Hoffpauir was a Blattner Energy employee, a spokesperson for the company told WyoFile.

The Natrona County coroner has not made public the cause of death, and a spokesperson for the Wyoming Department of Occupational Safety and Health Administration said the agency isn’t releasing details until it completes an investigation.

“There is an ongoing investigation, and while that’s happening we cannot comment,” Wyoming OSHA spokesperson Erin Turbitt told WyoFile.

Beyond confirming that Hoffpauir was killed on the job in Wyoming, Blattner Energy said it would not provide further information at this time.

It was the sixth confirmed workplace fatality in Wyoming so far this year, not including on-the-job roadway fatalities, Turbitt said. Wyoming had 34 workplace fatalities in 2022 (including on-the-job roadway fatalities) — a 25% increase over 2021, according to state and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

Hoffpauir worked as a paramedic before becoming a crane operator, according to an obituary published on the Crowley, Louisiana-based Geesey Ferguson Funeral Home website. As a crane operator, Hoffpauir primarily worked in the wind energy construction industry and was a former member of the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 49, according to the obituary and a Facebook account under his name.

He is survived by four children and five grandchildren.

Reflections posted on his obituary page describe Hoffpauir as a man of faith who adored his children and grandchildren, as a mentor who encouraged his co-workers and a person who loved to golf, fish and cook.

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