because a connection was not properly cleaned before it was installed

[CPOPE]

http://www.equities.com/news/headlin...44&cat=utility
Professor reinforces electrocution theory [Tribune-Review, Greensburg, Pa.] By Paul Peirce, Tribune-Review, Greensburg, Pa. McClatchy-Tribune Information Services Nov. 28--A metals expert told an Allegheny County jury Tuesday that a 7,200-volt power line failed and electrocuted a Hempfield woman in 2009 because a connection was not properly cleaned before it was installed five years earlier.

Dr. Campbell Laird, professor emeritus in material sciences at University of Pennsylvania's School of Engineering, testified in a wrongful death lawsuit that his examination of pieces of the failed line showed it corroded at a splice after West Penn Power Co. crews first erected it in 2004 outside the home of Carrie and Michael Goretzka on West Hempfield Drive.

"Why did that line fall on a calm and sunny day on June 2, 2009?" attorney Shanin Specter of Philadelphia asked Laird.

"It came down because it was given a start degrading by not having been cleaned properly. You see no signs of wire brushing on it," Laird said.

By failing to clean the connection first with a wire brush as its manufacturer suggested, Laird explained to the jury that the failed connection was able to "pick up impurities from the environment, giving it a strong potential to decay over time."

The line subsequently burned off at the connection and fell onto Carrie Goretzka, 39, as she stood outside her home using a cell phone to call authorities about the power outage. She died of her injuries three days later at UPMC Mercy in Pittsburgh.

Her husband, Michael, and daughters, Chloe, 8, and Carlie, 6, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the utility, now owned by FirstEnergy of Akron, Ohio. Chloe and Carlie witnessed the accident along with Carrie's mother-in-law, Joann.

Laird testified in the seventh day of the trial. He told jurors that the "red-hot" line was about 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit when it struck Carrie Goretzka.

Power company attorney Avrum Levicoff of Pittsburgh extensively questioned Laird about whether rain and snow could enter the splice. He referred to Laird's analysis that there was evidence of sulfur and chloride particles inside the splice.jn

"They don't have a mechanism to completely seal out rain," Laird said.

Laird concurred with Levicoff's assessment that sulfur and chloride are components of acid rain, which also corrodes metal.

Levicoff questioned Laird about a 49-page report he prepared in September on the line's failure that omitted "microscopic photographs" of other splices along the same line that indicated some of the connections were wire-brushed.

When West Penn Power begins its defense in the case later this week, Levicoff is expected to summon his own metallurgists to testify that microscopic examinations of some of the splices indicate they were cleaned with a wire brush before they were installed.

The trial is expected to resume Wednesday morning before Judge Michael A. Della Vecchia.

Paul Peirce is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 724-850-2860 or ppeirce@tribweb.com.

[old lineman]

Back in 1972 I was working for New England Power Service Company out of Westborough, Mass.
There was a 345,000 volt line being built near Westborough and the end of the year was approaching. The powers to be decided to call us in to help as there would be penalities if the line wasn't completed by Dec.31.
When we arrived and were given our details I asked where the inhibior was for the ACSR splices, the super was pissed that I even asked and after my insistance he said it was on a pallet at the back of the yard covered with snow. I had to pick through the pile to find tubes that were still useable.
We became the laughing stock of the crews because nobody was even going near the stuff.
The excuse was "you'll get that sh-- all over youself".
We delaminated the conductor and sleeved the core, wire brushed the conductor, slid the sleeve over the splice and pumped the sleeve full of inhibitor. Today there is about 18" of black both sides of the sleeve.
Ironically those three splices are the only original splices left on the full length of the circuit. The splices without inhibitor began burning off within a couple of years, so frequently that they had to shut the line down and re-splice everything.
To me, the engineers are far smarter than I so when they dertermine a procedure I seldom would question it. We must remember that all of these methods have been severely tested to conclusions beyond a shadow of a doubt.
If the job entails getting messy, so be it. It's not a white collar job after all. In fact I wouldn't change it for any white collar job I've ever seen.
Standards are a good thing because those who follow can figure what we were up to.
The Old Lineman

[duckhunter]

http://www.equities.com/news/headlin...44&cat=utility
Professor reinforces electrocution theory [Tribune-Review, Greensburg, Pa.] By Paul Peirce, Tribune-Review, Greensburg, Pa. McClatchy-Tribune Information Services Nov. 28--A metals expert told an Allegheny County jury Tuesday that a 7,200-volt power line failed and electrocuted a Hempfield woman in 2009 because a connection was not properly cleaned before it was installed five years earlier.

Dr. Campbell Laird, professor emeritus in material sciences at University of Pennsylvania's School of Engineering, testified in a wrongful death lawsuit that his examination of pieces of the failed line showed it corroded at a splice after West Penn Power Co. crews first erected it in 2004 outside the home of Carrie and Michael Goretzka on West Hempfield Drive.

"Why did that line fall on a calm and sunny day on June 2, 2009?" attorney Shanin Specter of Philadelphia asked Laird.

"It came down because it was given a start degrading by not having been cleaned properly. You see no signs of wire brushing on it," Laird said.

By failing to clean the connection first with a wire brush as its manufacturer suggested, Laird explained to the jury that the failed connection was able to "pick up impurities from the environment, giving it a strong potential to decay over time."

The line subsequently burned off at the connection and fell onto Carrie Goretzka, 39, as she stood outside her home using a cell phone to call authorities about the power outage. She died of her injuries three days later at UPMC Mercy in Pittsburgh.

Her husband, Michael, and daughters, Chloe, 8, and Carlie, 6, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the utility, now owned by FirstEnergy of Akron, Ohio. Chloe and Carlie witnessed the accident along with Carrie's mother-in-law, Joann.

Laird testified in the seventh day of the trial. He told jurors that the "red-hot" line was about 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit when it struck Carrie Goretzka.

Power company attorney Avrum Levicoff of Pittsburgh extensively questioned Laird about whether rain and snow could enter the splice. He referred to Laird's analysis that there was evidence of sulfur and chloride particles inside the splice.jn

"They don't have a mechanism to completely seal out rain," Laird said.

Laird concurred with Levicoff's assessment that sulfur and chloride are components of acid rain, which also corrodes metal.

Levicoff questioned Laird about a 49-page report he prepared in September on the line's failure that omitted "microscopic photographs" of other splices along the same line that indicated some of the connections were wire-brushed.

When West Penn Power begins its defense in the case later this week, Levicoff is expected to summon his own metallurgists to testify that microscopic examinations of some of the splices indicate they were cleaned with a wire brush before they were installed.

The trial is expected to resume Wednesday morning before Judge Michael A. Della Vecchia.

Paul Peirce is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 724-850-2860 or ppeirce@tribweb.com.

The attorneys are always going to hire "experts" to dig up the manufacturers reccomendations, owners manuals, etc. We are supposed to be professionals that do things the right way. If we take shortcuts and someone gets hurt, we will always be blamed.

A few years ago we had a case in Michigan where a homeowner was installing aroof over his mobile home. He was using metal polebarn roofing. The man lost control of a 16-foot sheet of the roofing while in the structure and got it into a 69kv transmission line. There was a 3-million dollar lawsuit. The G&T was found 2/3 liable and the local distribution co-op was found 1/3 liable because one of their meter readers had been to the home while the man was working and the jury felt that the co-op should have warned the member about the other company's line being a hazard.

[T-Man]

As a employees our company made sure we were trained to take notice of someone working within M.A.D. Then stop and let those know the dangers and they should keep a proper clearance. We used to have a scrap yard operator constantly bang his crane boom into the transmission line, we were there often checking him and the lines for arc damage.

[BigClive]

It doesn't matter how thoroughly you do a job. If the legal industry gets involved they WILL find some random way to imply that anyone is responsible.

Just working at all has become a liability.

[reppy007]

I heard that a jury awarded 109million to the family,also mentioned was Allegheny and First energy..did they merge or something and do they own West Penn Power Co?.....for what its worth....West Penn attorney Aurum Levicoff said the woman put herself in harms way by standing under a powerline while dialing 911.

[Orgnizdlbr]

I heard that a jury awarded 109million to the family,also mentioned was Allegheny and First energy..did they merge or something and do they own West Penn Power Co?.....for what its worth....West Penn attorney Aurum Levicoff said the woman put herself in harms way by standing under a powerline while dialing 911.

First energy aquired west penn some years ago, that was before they bought us here in Jersey along with the Pa companies. They aquired allegheny, monongahela, and Potomac Edison within the last year or so......