one night there was a car that hit a power line pole and then went down into a ditch and hit a tree, my sister and some of her friends ran who saw the accident ran out of their car to go help, when my sister got close to the car, the sight of it made her pass out, so 3 of her friends picked her up and to get her back to the car, while they were carrying her, one of the guys slipped and his head hit the power line that was hanging, and all 4 of them got electrocuted, my sister and one of the guys died, the others were severly injured, they didn't get a chance to help the other two victims who were in the car crash. Now there is a guy who says he used to work for the city, and he mentioned that when a power line is hit or somehow interfered, a sensor of some sort is supposed to stop the electric current, so he said none of them should have gotten electrocuted, and he mentioned that my mother has a case against the city, does she have a case?
2007-07-24 07:54:37 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
Some crooked lawyer could probably twist this around and make a case out of it, however I don't believe she should. She should get on with her grieving and put it behind her. She will find that the legal victory is very hollow.
2007-07-24 08:05:18 · answer #1 · answered by davidmi711 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If the purpose of the shut-off is to prevent a situation of this sort, which it probably is (No doubt it is specifically geared towards protecting electric company workers, but should also be for general protection of anyone who could reasonably be near a downed line), then your mother would be able to claim negligence if the sensor was actually supposed to be there and it wasn't. That's what you (Or a lawyer) need to find out. Was this guy telling you the truth about the sensor?
2007-07-24 15:13:17 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Wow. First let me offer my condolences for the death of your sister and her friend. That's a helluva story.
I think you could certainly find a lawyer willing to take the case on contingency (call your local Bar Association and ask for a personal injury attorney who will take the case on contingency), especially if there is something that should have been done to cut the current to the downed power line. You would need to get a lawyer and have him or her investigate the electrical system and the standard procedure, and they will know to sue if the procedure wasn't followed properly.
But it sounds to me like your mother has a wrongful death case against the city or county (or whomever is supposed to monitor the electrical poles), IF there is indeed some sensory/shut-down system that failed to work that night.
2007-07-24 15:11:38 · answer #3 · answered by Hillary 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
not that i can see if u see someone hit a pole and lines come down the best thing to do is stay in your car and go for help the lines could still be live. i am sorry about your sister.
2007-07-24 14:59:21 · answer #4 · answered by ggates1982 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Possibly, most likely against the power company that owns rights to the pole that was damaged. You will have a hard time proving that one though.
2007-07-24 14:59:46 · answer #5 · answered by bildymooner 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋