Co-op rallies around injured lineworker
September 2026
BARC Electric Cooperative crew members recently rallied to support lineworker Deaven Snyder and his wife after he was seriously injured in an ATV accident. (BARC photos)
by Jack Cooksey, Staff Writer
It was February when Deaven Snyder and fellow lineworkers from BARC Electric Cooperative traveled to Maryland to help restore power after a snowstorm. “Being able to help another co-op and community in need is what mutual aid is all about,” Deaven said later, reflecting on the experience.
Just weeks later, he and his wife, Sierra, would experience that same cooperative spirit firsthand.
In April, Deaven suffered severe injuries from an ATV accident in Clifton Forge, Va. The ATV he and a friend were riding overturned while climbing a 70-foot embankment. The ATV landed on Deaven, fracturing his skull, face, jaw, shoulder and several ribs, collapsing his left lung and causing a traumatic brain injury.
Within hours, members of Deaven’s work crew rushed to the hospital to support him and Sierra. BARC leaders also visited the hospital in the days that followed.
“People got together quickly and did any and everything they could,” Deaven said later. “It wasn’t like they got together a couple of weeks later. It was instant support — and not just from a few coworkers, but all of them.”
BARC lineworkers organized a GoFundMe campaign and helped with household and yard tasks while Sierra stayed by Deaven’s side.
Despite his severe injuries, the lineman did not require surgery. Although doctors predicted a six-month recovery, Deaven’s rebound was quicker than anticipated.
“Physical and occupational [therapists were] pushing him to do all these different workouts,” Sierra says. “He would wake up each morning and do [them]. He definitely pushed himself.”
By August, Deaven was cleared by doctors to return to work with no restrictions. “He’s definitely been itching real bad to get back [to work],” Sierra says. “We’re glad that he made it there.”
This story includes reporting by Victoria A. Rocha, a writer for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.