Man Electrocuted While Desperately Trying to Save His Home from Flash Flood

An Ohio community is mourning a beloved 58-year-old man who died after he was apparently electrocuted outside his home during a sudden flash flood.

Russell “Russ” McKinney was killed on the evening of Friday, July 17, as heavy rain, intense lightning and rapidly rising floodwaters swept through Fairfax, a suburb of Cincinnati, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer, WLWT and WKRC.

Neighbors believe McKinney was attempting to plug in a sump pump outside his Warren Avenue home when he was electrocuted.

The floodwater had reportedly risen nearly halfway up his garage by the time the tragedy unfolded.

Longtime neighbor Peggy Kersker said she was inside her bedroom when she suddenly heard McKinney screaming for help.

“I was sitting in the bedroom, and all of a sudden, I heard this most horrific scream that I’ve ever heard in my whole life,” Kersker told WKRC.

Several neighbors immediately rushed outside and tried to save him.

According to The Cincinnati Enquirer, multiple people pulled McKinney from the water before a Fairfax police officer arrived and began performing CPR.

Emergency crews were still on the way, but McKinney was pronounced dead minutes later, according to dispatch reports reviewed by the newspaper.

The Fairfax Police Department did not release additional details, and the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office had not immediately provided further information.

McKinney’s death was the only fatality reported in connection with the powerful storms that battered the region over the weekend, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer.

Residents have since remembered him as a kind and familiar presence in the community.

“Russ was a good guy,” Robert Perkins, who had known McKinney since he was 12 years old, told the newspaper.

The Village of Fairfax also shared a tribute on social media, offering condolences to McKinney’s family.

“Several of us who work at the Village grew up with Russ and we are so saddened by this tragic loss,” the village wrote.

Officials also praised the residents and emergency workers who helped with the aftermath of the flooding.

“The Village was hit hard on Friday and we are thankful to our Maintenance crew, Fairfax Police Department, Little Miami Joint Fire & Rescue District, Fairfax Civic Association and residents who stepped up to handle clean-up and assist those affected by the flooding these past few days,” the statement continued.

“The residents of this community truly care for their neighbors and are there in time of need.”