Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: Wolfala on July 05, 2007, 07:02:44 PM

Title: Both my cars taken out by high voltage power line
Post by: Wolfala on July 05, 2007, 07:02:44 PM: http://s145.photobucket.com/albums/r207/wolfala/Car%20Damage/

How is there a good way to put this...****ing A.

It was a pretty lazy morning in Los Gatos today. Around 1030am I was on the phone trying to hunt down a JPI engine monitor, and then all of the lights at the office went out, followed by a loud boom. People ran to the windows and what followed was the usual incidence of holy ****, but more so then usual.

A High Tension powerline that PG&E was working on fell and ****ed my car, and my wifes car up - in addition to taking out the power for about 1/2 mile around. Tore out part of my exhaust and moved my car about 2 feet when the cable snapped overhead.

A few photos

(http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r207/wolfala/Car%20Damage/IMG_1310.jpg)
(http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r207/wolfala/Car%20Damage/IMG_1554.jpg)
(http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r207/wolfala/Car%20Damage/IMG_1526.jpg)

Love,

Wolf
Title: Both my cars taken out by high voltage power line
Post by: Masherbrum on July 05, 2007, 07:24:13 PM: Sorry to hear Wolf. But at least neither of you were in those when that happened. <>
Title: Both my cars taken out by high voltage power line
Post by: Grayeagle on July 05, 2007, 07:55:19 PM: insurance is your friend :)

Very glad you or someone else wasnt in them.

-GE
Title: Both my cars taken out by high voltage power line
Post by: Bosco123 on July 05, 2007, 08:28:49 PM: Ouch!!:eek: :O
Title: Both my cars taken out by high voltage power line
Post by: Seagoon on July 05, 2007, 09:07:57 PM: Sorry to hear about that Wolf. Hope you didn't have third party insurance.

It's in a moments like this that I'd be reflecting on how many times during the week that I go out to the car to get something and thanking God that it didn't coincide with the cable falling, I suspect it would have done more than blow your muffler off. :eek:

Glad you're both ok.
Title: Both my cars taken out by high voltage power line
Post by: Maverick on July 05, 2007, 09:18:37 PM: Time to start talking to the power company about taking care of the damage.
Title: Both my cars taken out by high voltage power line
Post by: Wolfala on July 06, 2007, 01:03:52 AM: Got the wifes estimate on her car, which was paint damage only. $4100. My car gets it tomorrow - I think it is going to be totalled between the body work and structural damage underneath.
Title: Both my cars taken out by high voltage power line
Post by: Furball on July 06, 2007, 02:15:50 AM: Ouch :(
Title: Both my cars taken out by high voltage power line
Post by: Hap on July 06, 2007, 09:31:09 AM: At least it wasn't a HO.

Sorry your rides got whacked.

Were the guys on the electricity crew ok?
Title: Both my cars taken out by high voltage power line
Post by: Wolfala on July 06, 2007, 11:33:47 AM: Quote
Originally posted by Hap
At least it wasn't a HO.

Sorry your rides got whacked.

Were the guys on the electricity crew ok?

Luckily no one on the ground was injured. Very lucky considering I dont want to think about what a cable would do to a person.
Title: Both my cars taken out by high voltage power line
Post by: BigGun on July 06, 2007, 11:45:16 AM: what the hell is that little viking horn looking thing in the back window?

This incident sucks, I would think you can get PGE to cover costs. Should have definitely car pooled with the wife that day.
Title: Both my cars taken out by high voltage power line
Post by: Wolfala on July 06, 2007, 12:52:14 PM: Quote
Originally posted by BigGun
what the hell is that little viking horn looking thing in the back window?

This incident sucks, I would think you can get PGE to cover costs. Should have definitely car pooled with the wife that day.

I work 530 am - 8am at Hayward airport. She drives in at a different time and I leave at a different time. Wish I could've.
Title: Both my cars taken out by high voltage power line
Post by: Masherbrum on July 06, 2007, 12:52:47 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Wolfala
Luckily no one on the ground was injured. Very lucky considering I dont want to think about what a cable would do to a person.
We've already had one death to a winch cable this year in Michigan. He died instantly, the hooked sheared and went through the windshield. I'm sure the tension on those wires was probably greater.
Title: Both my cars taken out by high voltage power line
Post by: Masherbrum on July 06, 2007, 12:53:35 PM: Quote
Originally posted by BigGun
what the hell is that little viking horn looking thing in the back window?
LMFAO!
Title: Both my cars taken out by high voltage power line
Post by: Dichotomy on July 06, 2007, 12:54:53 PM: interesting that I don't see any evidence of rust causing the pole to fall. It must have been either a) severely overloaded or b) severely underdesigned for the loads.

Somewhere one of my competitors is having a really bad day.

Very happy neither of you were hurt
Title: Both my cars taken out by high voltage power line
Post by: Halo on July 06, 2007, 02:17:01 PM: Bummer. I'm surprised how now it's okay for lots more building and habitation near even big power lines.

In the Nasty Surprise category, after parking and walking toward a theater I heard a big bang and looked about 20 yards to my side to see a medium size power pole drop something from its high box in a shower of sparks. Shattered the windshield of a Honda parked beneath it

Not what you expect in a mall parking lot.
Title: Both my cars taken out by high voltage power line
Post by: Wolfala on July 06, 2007, 03:13:31 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Dichotomy
interesting that I don't see any evidence of rust causing the pole to fall. It must have been either a) severely overloaded or b) severely underdesigned for the loads.

Somewhere one of my competitors is having a really bad day.

Very happy neither of you were hurt

Well,

That pole was underneath the high tension power line which came down on top of it from 100 feet up. There shouldn't be any corrosion on the light pole - if anything, it absorbed some of the energy that would've otherwise have been taken out on people nearby or other vehicles in the lot.

But imagine the energy imparted by something to take down a pole with 1/8inch thick steel or aluminum.

Wolf
Title: Both my cars taken out by high voltage power line
Post by: ramzey on July 06, 2007, 09:12:38 PM: ouch, need a ride? call me
Title: Both my cars taken out by high voltage power line
Post by: Boroda on July 06, 2007, 10:39:57 PM: Fortunately noone got hurt and you are both OK.

Alex, you probably remember how surprised I was looking at all that wooden poles and wires. They simply looked dangerous to me.

Good luck with insurance and repairs!
Title: Both my cars taken out by high voltage power line
Post by: Dichotomy on July 06, 2007, 11:14:40 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Wolfala
Well,

That pole was underneath the high tension power line which came down on top of it from 100 feet up. There shouldn't be any corrosion on the light pole - if anything, it absorbed some of the energy that would've otherwise have been taken out on people nearby or other vehicles in the lot.

But imagine the energy imparted by something to take down a pole with 1/8inch thick steel or aluminum.

Wolf

Trust me I know. I design the things for a living.

So the wires came down and hit the pole? That explains a lot. It looks to me like a steel pole based on the design and the fabricator tag.

Based on the pics it appeared to me that someone had added things to it after construction.

Just guessing it was a 20' pole with an 8 to 12 inch od base most likely .125 wall or possibly .179 depending on the light fixture and the local codes.

Shearing that off would be over a 104 to 117 mph straight line wind.

This is just supposition on my part based on the pics.

Again I'm glad nobody was hurt particularly a member of this community :)
Title: Both my cars taken out by high voltage power line
Post by: Estel on July 08, 2007, 01:53:52 AM: "We shouldn't leave you alone." (c) unknown

Good that the whole **** ended without bodies and injured on the ground. In first it was an engine. Now cars. Looks like it's a time to make something like me. To leave your town for 3-4 days to live somewhere in a little town or a village. I'm now in Belozersk, little town 660 km away from Moscow. It's 1145 years old. And it have a lake 40kmx60km. So, you need to change surrounding. At least for few days.
Title: Both my cars taken out by high voltage power line
Post by: AWMac on July 08, 2007, 12:34:42 PM: It's Photoshopped... look at the shadows. :D

J/K'ing

Thank Gawd no one was killed or injured. Make the Power Co pay for it all.

:aok

Mac