Massive Power Surge related to Auto Accident

[justalayman]

So why do you expect the POCO to protect you anymore than your own system does???

They do not provide overvoltage protection BUT they will pay for damages that were their responsibility should they cause an overvoltage situation.

The big problem is, they did not cause the damage.

Oh, I forgot to mention, the driver of the vehicle was 79. Her brakes failed just after a family member had done a service job on them.

let's not go there. Too many possibilities. Let's just leave it at the driver is responsible to you.

The surge was a voltage assault. Where I had good surge protectors, the first spike opened the circuit and didn't let the second one through. The cheaper ones may have stopped the first surge, but became a pass-thru for the second. The grid dropped after the second surge.

Now, when you want to get into Ohm's law and the increases in voltage and amperage, let's go off forum. As I said, I could go on for hours as to what might have happened and why your system should have protected you.

Also note; you state the "cheap" surge supressors failed. Sue them. As a matter of fact, many of them do in fact have insurance that comes with the unit. Have you looked into that yet??

So, why don;t you have a whole house surge supressor?

Who would you be blaming if you were hit by lightning?

Just about the only people that have absolutely no responsibility in this IS the POCO. That seems to be the only one you really want to blame because they have lots of money. Sorry, that is how life works sometimes. That is why YOU insure your own property.

 

[justalayman]

1)The utility is protected by writ and not responsible, irregardless of the cause, for their product entering my home in a grossly uncontrolled rampage and despite countermeasures I may have had in place, destroyed personal property. From some of the damaged items I've seen from other people, it's just dumb luck there wasn't a dwelling fire.

No, they are not. They are responsible for things that are thier fault. You simply want to place the blame where there is none.

2) The power grid's integrity is of more importance than public safety at each consumer's location

actually, yes it is. If the power grid sustained a major outage, it would cause drastic economic and health concerns.

3) It doesn't matter if the utility had protection in place that was inadequate, had protection in place that didn't work or had no protection in place at all. Driver did it, sorry for your loss.

they had the protection they were required to have. It functioned as required and designed, (at least from your description of the incident). Electricity is a dangerous thing regardless of what safety protections you may have. It cannot be made totally safe. You are required to protect yourself from what may happen. If you fail to do so, who is to blame? YOU.

I have the perfect solution for you. Call the POCO and have them disconnect your power and quit bitchin'. Next thing you know, you are going to want to sue the manufacturer of your car because they made it so it would actually move and you ended up in an accident because it could move.

How about suing your parents because you will eventually die but only because your parents did what it takes to make you. There is your ultimate cause for ALL of your problems. Go sue mom and dad.

 

[HankJS]

How about suing your parents because you will eventually die but only because your parents did what it takes to make you. There is your ultimate cause for ALL of your problems. Go sue mom and dad.

They've been dead too long. Anyway, I'm their estate and legacy.

Basically, I'm back to the point I was at just before the event, just minus $250. which doesn't clear my deductible. But being someone on a fixed income, it matters. Not quite as bad as the young couple across the street from me who have a $2,100 heatpump repair bill with a $1,000 deductible.

I'm just so amazed your so confident everything was in place that should have been. My neighbor's son is a senior engineer of high voltage applications for Square D. He looked at the area in question and saw no breakers between the drop-down pole and the pole where the high voltage incursion happened. He said he would expect them to be on the pole for easy repair, but could be somewhere underground.

He also said POCO's can install voltage spike traps and do where a high end industrial customer is involved. He just oversaw a $500,000 job by PSE&G for Johnson & Johnson in NJ.

HankJS

 

[HankJS]

I have the perfect solution for you. Call the POCO and have them disconnect your power and quit bitchin'. Next thing you know, you are going to want to sue the manufacturer of your car because they made it so it would actually move and you ended up in an accident because it could move.

How about suing your parents because you will eventually die but only because your parents did what it takes to make you. There is your ultimate cause for ALL of your problems. Go sue mom and dad.

I hope you said this with a smile on your face, sans 'Smilies'

The jerk-around has started. 31 of us have wasted 5 days because the insurance carrier assigned the claims to the wrong adjuster agent. I've already wrongly been assumed to be the driver of the car to someone the power lines fell on in these claim conversations. Based on what's written in this forum describing the incident, I'm at a loss to know how it could be any clearer.

HankJS

 

[Zigner]

Let's put it in plain and simple terms:

The 79 year old driver is responsible for your problems and is the only one you can realistically seek recourse against.

 

[seniorjudge]

Let's put it in plain and simple terms:

The 79 year old driver is responsible for your problems and is the only one you can realistically seek recourse against.

I agree as modified by post #13.

 

[Zigner]

I agree as modified by post #13.

You are absolutely correct on #13

 

[HankJS]

You are absolutely correct on #13

I'm hardly going to sue everyone. Just the driver at this time.

But as you can see in my post #19, the "jerk-around" has already started with the driver's insurance carrier.

I may still continue to bug the PSC and the state consumer advocates office over the matter.
The later has a tradition of taking concerns over public safety seriously, at least around here.

HankJS

 

[seniorjudge]

I'm hardly going to sue everyone. Just the driver at this time.

But as you can see in my post #19, the "jerk-around" has already started with the driver's insurance carrier.

I may still continue to bug the PSC and the state consumer advocates office over the matter.
The later has a tradition of taking concerns over public safety seriously, at least around here.

HankJS

Let us know when you finally realize that Zigner and I are right.

The PSC and the state consumer advocates are NOT interested in this kind of case.

I know whereof I speak....

 

[Zigner]

Hank -

If you sue, the insurance company will come...

 

[HankJS]

Let us know when you finally realize that Zigner and I are right.

The PSC and the state consumer advocates are NOT interested in this kind of case.

I know whereof I speak....

OK. But if I have a goal or mission, if you will, to sign off on it I need a little more to go on. Why wouldn't the state's public advocate (sorry, not consumer advocate), who's purpose is to serve as an interface between a utility and consumer not be interested?

HankJS

 

[Zigner]

OK. But if I have a goal or mission, if you will, to sign off on it I need a little more to go on. Why wouldn't the state's public advocate (sorry, not consumer advocate), who's purpose is to serve as an interface between a utility and consumer not be interested?

HankJS

Ok, one last time.
Because the utility is NOT responsible!

 

[justalayman]

I hope you said this with a smile on your face, sans 'Smilies'


HankJS

It was merely an exagerration to make a point.

I'm just so amazed your so confident everything was in place that should have been. My neighbor's son is a senior engineer of high voltage applications for Square D. He looked at the area in question and saw no breakers between the drop-down pole and the pole where the high voltage incursion happened. He said he would expect them to be on the pole for easy repair, but could be somewhere underground.

Well, there you go then. IF he is willing to testify in court that the POCO was the cause, or should at least share some liability, you will have a fighting chance. Did you ask him if he was willing to testify in court that the POCO did not have proper and required protection in place to prevent an accident that a court will not see as a forseeable situation (so it let them off the hook since you would only be required to protect against forseeable situations).

ask him about proper cascading of protection and why the POCO equipment would not stop what happened. It DID prevent further damage so it did act properly.

You might also want the neighbor's kid to engineer a TVSS for your house to prevent anything (including lightning strikes) from damaging your equipment.

Have you looked into the surge supressor and what insurance they may offer. I believ UPC was real big in warranty. Not sure who else.

 

[HankJS]

Ok, one last time.
Because the utility is NOT responsible!

Only by accident of a tariff regulation. Yes, I realize that is all that's needed. But sometimes justice creates the appearance of injustice, depending on which side you're standing. I guess I just can't get through my thick head that the magnitude and scope of this event has failed to mitigate the utility's immunity.

To me, it's a public safety matter. Incidentally, there was a house fire to blocks away from me declared by the state fire marshal as being caused by the surge. Right now, that is the largest potential claim, structure damage reported at $55.000.

I'll update the thread as suing moves forward.

HankJS

 

[justalayman]

You are right, you don;t get it. The POCO does not have immunity. They simply do not have liability.