Author Topic: This could have been disasterous  (Read 1703 times)

Offline Bolohead

  • Bolohead
  • Ultimate Sly Guy
  • *****
  • Posts: 750
  • Country: us
  • At 56 and still feeling GREAT!
    • Jon Erdmann - Photographer
This could have been disasterous
« on: July 28, 2007, 02:30:03 PM »
The following pictures I took of a house in Kalispell, that a contractor had working at, as no one was on site when I arrived to locate the gas line for their sewer project.  The danger was fully exposed to anyone approaching from the alley side of the property.

As a result the contractor is now facing criminal endangerment charges.  Northewest Energy Gas, and the Flathead Electric Co-op has had nothing but problems with this Russian Contractor... he just doesn't seem to care about what he does or the risk he takes.

In this picture power lines are down on the ground... but who knows for how long though... I found it that way locating the gas line.  The ends of the still live wires were just taped over with electrical tape.




In this next picture you will see the gas line riser with the meter removed.  A tab device on the riser was turned off, but not locked or line capped.  The riser had also been kinked over severly damaging the gas line which could have sprung a leak at any time.



In this next picture, its pretty self explanitory.... In a defferant location, a differant contracting dig company crew were to hand dig 18" to either side of the marked painted lines that were located for them, but instead used an excavator to dig, the end result was the damage you see.  The line breaker on the top of the power pole is what saved their lives as this could have been very deadly.  The contractor is getting a very large bill for the repair for both power and phone services as service was cut off to those down the line etc.


Remember to Call B-4-U-DIG
« Last Edit: July 29, 2007, 05:45:57 AM by J_B »



Offline Tyler

  • The Count of Sly
  • Administrator
  • Sly Nobility
  • *****
  • Posts: 13409
  • Country: us
    • SILIST - Smitty's Information List
Re: This could have been disasterous
« Reply #1 on: July 28, 2007, 02:35:15 PM »
Um, yeah...that wasn't what you call a "smart" move on the contractors' part.
People are not limited by the circumstance that they are born in. They are limited by the size of their dreams. Show them that their dreams can have no limits and in turn their accomplishments can be limitless.

Offline Timmay

  • Team Sly
  • Sly Nobility
  • ******
  • Posts: 8829
Re: This could have been disasterous
« Reply #2 on: July 28, 2007, 11:23:06 PM »
All I can say is Idiot.  Bout liek the deal I had to deal wth in florida. We stayed at my wife's bosses place.  Their main water line had a leak and it was above ground.  So i called the groundskeeper to come look at it for them.. He came back the next day and started digging to find where the copper pipe joing the pvc pipe...well in doing so he cut the cable line. I asked him waht the two wires were sticking up out of the ground..he says yeah icut the cable...Brighthouse loves me.  Brighthouse is their cable provider..so I took it this has happened way more than once... Idiots!

Offline Bolohead

  • Bolohead
  • Ultimate Sly Guy
  • *****
  • Posts: 750
  • Country: us
  • At 56 and still feeling GREAT!
    • Jon Erdmann - Photographer
Re: This could have been disasterous
« Reply #3 on: July 29, 2007, 06:02:16 AM »
In the last picture, the crew the day before had hand dug the area and knew those electric and phone lines were right there.  The had put a piece of white PVC with orange tip for a marker...  AND they also have a Sub-Locator just like I do, for finding just where the underground stuff is....

What was nice is that their boss called me up, and said my marks were on the money, and that he has to eat the whole bill from power and phone companies... he did tell me that there was gonna be some BUTT chewin going on and someone was loosin his job over the incident.

I'm just thankful that none of his crew were hurt in this situation.

In the first pictures up there, had the contractor been on scene when I found the power lines laying down like that, I would have just called the Kalispell Police Dept, and had him cited right there for "Gross Criminal Endangerment", but my job only requires me to notify the Power Company and Gas Company because those are the danger items to be taken care of.  Then it is up to them to report, and seek a criminal complaint against the contractor which they both did.

Offline Robmeister

  • The Duke of SLY
  • Sly Moderator
  • Sly Bureau
  • *****
  • Posts: 4408
  • I'm not this handsome in real life
Re: This could have been disasterous
« Reply #4 on: July 29, 2007, 10:35:34 AM »
Holy Hiroshima, Batman !