Roth was working in her yard when the line struck her and caused “catastrophic traumatic injuries.” Her husband said he saw the incident unfold just a few feet away.
SAN ANTONIO — A San Antonio family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against AT&T after a woman was struck and killed by a fiber optic line when a passing truck dislodged it.
On the morning of May 2, 2025, Glenda Huff Roth was working in her yard located off of Oak Ledge Drive when a Haul-Brooke utility dumpster truck collied with an AT&T fiber optic cable that was allegedly hanging well below the 15-foot-6-inch minimum clearance required by national and local safety codes, according to the lawsuit.
The recoiling line allegedly struck Roth in the head and caused “catastrophic traumatic injuries.” Her husband William Roth said he saw the whole incident unfold from just a few feet away.
Roth was immediately placed in a coma and fought for her life before dying just 12 days later.
The lawsuit alleged that AT&T and Quest “knew or should have known the cable was dangerously low and in violation of the National Electrical Safety Code, yet failed to take corrective action.” It goes on to claim that this was not an isolated incident but the result of “systemic failures installation, inspection and maintenance protocols.”
The family is seeking exemplary damages, asserting the defendants acted with the conscious disregard for public safety, according to the lawsuit.
“This wasn’t a freak accident. It was the predictable outcome of neglecting basic safety obligations,” said Tom Crosley, the lead attorney for the Roth family. “AT&T and its contractors have a duty to the public to ensure utility infrastructure is safe. That duty was ignored, with fatal consequences.”
Crosley Law Firm is asking members of the community to report any other low-hanging or downed fiber optic or electrical cables they have seen across the city.
The firm also says while witnesses to the incident on Oak Ledge Drive have already been identified, they are seeking to determine if this tragedy was part of a broader pattern of neglect in utility line maintenance.
You can contact Crosley Law Firm at 210-529-3000 or email tom@crosleylaw.com.
KENS 5 has reached out to AT&T for a response and we are awaiting a response.