MILTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) - Installing a sewer tap is typically a routine job. But for Milton city worker Paul Linville, it was deadly.

On Aug. 7 , Linville had hopped into the hole when, according to Milton Public Works Director Mike Ramsey, it caved in on him and killed him.

“As soon as he got in there, it just caved on him,” Ramsey told WSAZ. “There was just no escape for him. There was a step down on the side, but it was the side that caved, so there was nowhere for him to go.”

Ramsey was both Linville’s boss and his friend for more than eight years. He told stories of Linville spending the night in a cot in the maintenance building during a flooding event so he didn’t have to worry about getting home.

“That’s the kind of guy Paul was,” Ramsey said. “He would do anything for anybody. H

See Full Page