Family mourns ComEd worker
Daniel Yost had only been working as a full-time ComEd lineman for a few weeks.
Finished with his training, friends and family say, Yost was excited to remove his "in-training" label and gain more responsibility at work.
The 24-year-old Bartlett man, however, was fatally electrocuted around 2:27 p.m. Tuesday as he worked on an overhead power line in Lombard.
He was pronounced dead less than hour later at Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove.
ComEd spokesman Luis Diaz said Wednesday that company policy prohibits release of information about employees involved in a fatality.
"Everyone at ComEd extends their deepest sympathies to the family and friends of our colleague," Diaz said. "And the cause of his death is being investigated by ComEd and the local authorities."
Yost's cousin, Michelle Thompson, who he lived with in Bartlett, said family members are devastated. They are relying on their faith to help them cope as they await more details about his death.
"Faith is very important to us as a family," Thompson said. "So we are focusing on our memories of Daniel as a great brother to his three brothers and a great son to his parents.
"We're excited he's in heaven and very sad that he beat all of us up there," she added.
Yost, a 2001 graduate of Crystal Lake South High School, had been working extra hours recently, trying to save enough money for a down payment on a house.
When he wasn't working overtime, Yost followed the Chicago Cubs, family members said.
"I don't think he owned any shirts that weren't Cubs shirts," Thompson said. "He was really excited about this season."
Yost also enjoyed video games and quiet vacations with his parents and three brothers at the family's summer home in Door County, Wis.
"The family would just like Dan to be remembered as the oldest of four brothers and a great guy to hang out with," Thompson said. "We know he died for a reason, and we hope that will help his coworkers and friends come to know the Lord."
Funeral arrangements were pending late Wednesday.