customer contacts and near misses.

[kooman]

had a guy drive the boom of his big ass track hoe into a 7200/12470 line today, no one was hurt. line clearence was 23'4", he blew all 3 cutouts on the tap, didnt tear anything down but he sure got a surprise. It got me thinking of all the other things that have happened over the years, Had a guy walk an alum. ladder into a phase, he didn't make it, a few grain augers, a t.v antenna, several farmers with dozers, among others. How about you guys, lets hear some stories.

[THE KID]

Had a crane that was setting trusses on a building. They set the trusses under the 3 phase vertical line and was swinging the cable under our line and hooking to the trussees and pulling them out. They succeded several times until they got the line into all 3 phases and blew three 80amp fuses. Scared the crap out of them and nobody go hurt luckly. The wire didn't come down but we had to splice all three phases.

We also had a guy that was painting a building on a electric scissor lift when he got up into the primary with the lift under a 3 phase line. Feeder operated but didn't lock out. When crew arrived the painter was holding the phase up off the lift with a paint brush in his hand. When he got into the primary it blew receptacles out of the wall in the building. One lucky sob.

[joe b]

We also had a guy that was painting a building on a electric scissor lift when he got up into the primary with the lift under a 3 phase line. Feeder operated but didn't lock out. When crew arrived the painter was holding the phase up off the lift with a paint brush in his hand. When he got into the primary it blew receptacles out of the wall in the building. One lucky sob.[/QUOTE]

Sounds alot like a guy on our system except he didn't have a paint brush. He had a paint roller on a 6 to 10 ft. Alum. Pole been a while ago 3 phase breaker operated 1 time note he was 3 blocks from the sub. He was dead on arrival he was also strait across the street from one of the fire stations

We also had a similar accident with a trackhoe it's kinda funny we responded to a three phase laying in the middle of a heavily populated area anyway we get there was there probably 2 min. There was contractors rebuilding the road 4 lane going to 6 lane equipment everywhere when we heard a helashiss boom about 50 yards away what do ya know trackhoe knuckle got in the primary luckily was on a 20 amp fuse damaged the wire but didn't hit the ground

[joe b]

Had this one wed.

Pretty good hum dinger

Simple c-1 with a c-7 pulling off 4/0 main line and 3phase tap 37.5 2 services
Since it has been hit again within 8 months it is getting moved

Been hit 5 or 6 times in the last 20 to 25 years one eng. Said

Scabbed it up beside a 45ft
Also had the stubb pole broke holding the 3 phase tap scabbed it with arms since it is all getting moved

Only way the guy new something wasen't rite is it choked his truck down broke the pole in three pieces

[T-Man]

Years ago I got a call of lights out on the last street on the northern boarder of my territory and the service center to the north. I came up on the east end tuned the corner and there was a flat body truck used for transporting larger dumpsters. It had a crane behind the cab. The crane was extended facing the front of the truck and there were maybe a dozen triplex service drops, tele cables and CATV cables draped around the base of the boom and trailing off the back of the truck. This guy said he never felt a thing, yet he yanked all that wire off poles on the north side of the street and the homes on the south side of the street for about a half mile. What a mess. There was some fairly good damage to service masts and facia boards too so the repair was not a simple one. The three phase primary was out when the wire slapped together and blew the line fuses, so I helped do some clean up till one of the Sups showed up and said I wasn't on the budget for the northern service center and they would take care of the repair and they sent me back to my area. They always get touchy about who gets paid by who?

[bluestreak]

About thirty years ago on the 4th of July they have the fireworks in Hartford on the river, big party on both sides of the river , about ten pm big flash in the sky and a 115 kv line crossing the river trips. Seems a 18 yr old kid doing some kind of recreational drugs had climbed a 255 ft. river crossing tower and walked into a phase that was 6 ft. above the catwalk, that wasn't the end of him they found him walking around naked 1/2 mile from the tower. We removed his clothes from the tower the next day where they were burned/blown off him. My understanding was he lived wasn't quite right in the head don't know if that was prexisting or not.

[reppy007]

Back in the 80s we had a dump truck driver that apparently didnt want to lower his bed all the way.......so he climbs up and trys to move the #2 primary over the bed....winds up on the road....but not dead.....after that he wanted to sue the company for him being stupid

[busman]

Back in the 80s we had a dump truck driver that apparently didnt want to lower his bed all the way.......so he climbs up and trys to move the #2 primary over the bed....winds up on the road....but not dead.....after that he wanted to sue the company for him being stupid

Reminds me of my first trip to Mobile, AL. They were moving a large trailer down Airport Blvd. It takes up all of two lanes. There a guy on top of the trailer with a t-shaped thing made out of 2x4's about 8 feet long. His job is to stand at the front of the trailer and raise the wires as they come to them. He walks them the length of the trailer and drops them off the back. Fortunately for him, they were all secondary triplex and quadriplex.

Mark