‘Well-loved’ Ky. high school baseball coach dies after flag pole hits electrical wire
The Kentucky high school baseball community is showing support for Estill County after a local high school baseball coach was killed in a freak accident Sunday.
Blake Crowe, a high school baseball coach and algebra teacher in Estill County, was electrocuted Sunday night after a flag pole in his yard fell, hit an electrical wire, and then hit the ground. Crowe arrived home and stepped out of his car onto the wet ground, which caused him to be electrocuted, according to Estill County Coroner Jimmie Wise. Wise called the electrocution a “freak accident.”
Crowe was taken to Marcum and Wallace Hospital in Irvine around 9 or 9:30 p.m. Sunday, where he was pronounced dead, Wise said.
Crowe was “a well-loved member of the community,” Wise said. “He and his wife, and his entire family, were active members of the community.”
Further details of Crowe’s death were still under further investigation Monday morning, Wise said.
Estill County Superintendent Jeff Saylor said the local community had to say goodbye “to a father, husband, son, teacher, coach and friend.”
“Blake Crowe exemplified what it means to be an Engineer,” Saylor said. “He was a role model for the young men he coached every day, a fantastic teacher and a mentor to many Estill County students during his time with us. He will be missed by everyone in this community. We ask that you pray for his family during this time of loss.”
One of Crowe’s high school players called him an “inspiration” and “someone I look up to.”
“Estill County lost a good one, a mighty good one,” said Thomas Forehand, a baseball player and student at Estill County. “He made such an impact on me and my teammates in many different ways.”
The Estill County Engineers baseball team posted a statement to its Facebook page Monday, asking people to pray for Crowe’s wife, his two children, his family and his baseball team.
“He had energy, enthusiasm and a love for baseball and the kids,” the team said in the post. “He reminded his team to be humble, love one another, be family and live for today, tomorrow is not promised.”
The Powell County High School baseball team posted a statement too, saying “today we are all Engineers.”
“The Powell County Baseball program remembers the life and family of coach Blake Crowe,” the team said in the post. “You will always have a seat in the first base dugout buddy. We will miss you.”
The Kentucky High School Athletic Association also shared condolences for the death of the 29-year-old coach.
“There are no words to describe our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Estill County head baseball coach Blake Crowe,” KHSAA said. “Our thoughts are with the Estill County community, Coach Crowe’s colleagues, and the student-athletes who had the privilege to play for him.”
Warren F. Toler Funeral Home in Irvine was handling Crowe’s funeral arrangements, Wise said.
