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I was reading Bruce Bowers post about billing the gas company for hitting a gas line that was not marked after calling the locaters. Has anyone else got a similar (or just a good digging story?) We took down a readerboard sign for a high school in a small town around here a few months ago. The city was improving the streets and was paying for the sign to be relocated a couple feet from where it was located. We marked where it was going and the city called back and said everything was a go. We called in an 24" auger truck and he started drilling where we were told it was OK. A few feet down the operator said, "I thing we got something" as he pulled up the auger and some brand new electrical wire. We stopped and called over the red-faced person who said we could dig there, he said to go home and he would call us when it was ready again. A couple days later we went back and dug a bit farther from the street and were OK. I know my boss got paid by the city for that SNAFU!!
-------------------- Mike Duncan(from the left coast) Astoria, Oregon Posts: 367 | From: Astoria, Oregon 97103 | Registered: Nov 1998
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My great uncle was a sign painter in Benton Harbor, Michigan and he told me a story early on about a sign installation he did one weekend.
They didn't have anything like "Call Ms Dig" back then. He was in a hurry and ended up hitting some underground utility lines. He didn't think it was a big deal until he got the bill for the repairmen to come out over a weekend and fix it. He wouldn't tell me how much that sign installation cost HIM. But he warned me about installing signs without checking first for underground utilities and said to NEVER make that mistake over a weekend because the rates are so much higher for repair.
Can you imagine the cost of hitting a fiberoptic line today?
Pam Pam's Signs
-------------------- Pam Eddy Niles, MI ple@qtm.net Posts: 460 | From: Michigan | Registered: Dec 2000
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My ex-Bro-in-Law works with fiberoptic for AT&T. He told me that if you hit one and it is your fault to just wait for the first technician to show up and hand him the keys to everything you own, run as fast as you can, and change your name.
The loss revenue is in the mega thousands a minute! That isn't even mentioning the fine you will be assessed or the actual cost of repairs!
BTW... if you ever do hit a fiberoptic line, NEVER look at the ends. It is a lazer and will blind you. Bye bye retinas.
If you do hit one stop by my place... we'll figure out some b.s. story.... "She couldn't have hit that line, she was pinstriping my refrigerator all week, Here in my shop, a thousand miles away... yeah, yeah, that's the ticket..."
-------------------- Bruce Bowers
DrCAS Custom Lettering and Design Saint Cloud, Minnesota
"Things work out best for the people who make the best of the way things work out." - Art Linkletter Posts: 6451 | From: Saint Cloud, Minnesota | Registered: Jun 1999
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I got a pretty good one. Even if all the utilities are cleared, there are still some things "down there" that can give you problems.
Several years ago I hired a company to set some utility poles for a large multiple sign at a strip center. They used an auger truck that was operated with an operator on it like a backhoe. During the operation the auger hit a pocket of natural gas that had been trapped from a leak in a nearby line. One that was well out of the dig area. This little pocket sent the huge auger truck on a little trip. The truck ended up sitting 90 degrees sideways and auger about 20 feet from the hole. The operator was shaken, and obviously got the ride of his life but remained in the seat. I did not see it, but heard it and ran out to see the results. The explosion was horrific. They knew immediately what it was. I was surprised to see them finish the job, but they did.
-------------------- "Don't change horses in midstream, unless you spot one with longer legs" bronzeo oti Jack Davis 1410 Main St Joplin, MO 64801 www.imagemakerart.com jack@imagemakerart.com Posts: 1549 | From: Joplin, MO | Registered: Mar 2000
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Once while digging on a landscaped mound in front of an office building where the general contractor that remodeled told me to dig, I came up with a scoop of grey plastic. I cut the phone lines ( computer communication lines ) for the entire building. That was a $600 post hole back around the early eighties.
-------------------- The SignShop Mendocino, California
Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity. — Charles Mingus Posts: 6712 | From: Mendocino, CA. USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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Knock on wood, I don't have a dig horror story to tell. But, I do recall A story that Rick Williams wrote about this subject many years ago. The story was about a sign company that didn't call before digging. The punch line was that AT&T now owns another sign company.
Havin' fun,
Checkers
-------------------- a.k.a. Brian Born www.CheckersCustom.com Harrisburg, Pa Work Smart, Play Hard Posts: 3775 | From: Harrisburg, Pa. U.S.A. | Registered: Nov 1998
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This spring we needed to dig 3 holes for 6x6 posts. Got the "Locate" done. The dig area was 5' of the marked gas line. (You have to be a minimum of one metre, so that was pleanty) We were about the same distance from a fibre optic line. Now they are a lot more carefull with that, and insist you stay 5 metres off a fibre line. So that ruled out augering. However, you can hydrovac holes to the extent your actually exposing the ulitity without damage. Although this is a 5 times more expensive option (at least), we had to go this route. (Customer was advised of the additional cost and okay it.) So... we were 5' off the marked gas line and 5' off the fibre trench. The first hole was started and down about 3' whe the technician called me over to see the hole was smack dab in the middle of a 10" diam. yellow jacket gas line!. Because we were hydrovacing, no damage was done, so they documented the incident, filled in the hole and moved over and successfully dug the holes in another location. If you are not familiar with this process, check... http://www.agric.gov.ab.ca/irrigate/hauler/volume66c.html This happened by a shopping centre just outside a residential area, right next to a Tim Horton's Donuts. Moral of the story... Don't dig close to a Tim Horton's Donuts...you could wipe out a significant number of Peace Officers
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actually Today's very few police officers eat donuts. Most of them are into fitness and body development. None I know are allowed to be over weight. And all are required to run a mile in less than 10 mins for a younger man. 14 mins for my age.
-------------------- Leaper of Tall buildings.. If you find my posts divisive or otherwise snarky please ignore them. If you do not know how then PM me about it and I will demonstrate. Posts: 5273 | From: Im a nowhere man | Registered: Jul 2001
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I dunno Curtis, must be different cops and standards where you are. Maybe not donuts but something is putting the pounds on many of our guys.
As far as digging goes, lots of good comments and advice. As far as someone owning you because of damages, I doubt it. Sure some lawsuits will result and fines too, but the horror stories are exaggerated.
-------------------- Wright Signs Wyandotte, Michigan Posts: 2785 | From: Wyandotte, MI USA | Registered: Jan 1999
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It isn't so much as them owning you, it is a case you owing them so much it could put you out of business.
The horror stories, for the most part, are just that. Stories. No one can sue you and take away your livelihood.
You could be forever paying off that debt, though. I am sure that that judgement will follow you for all your days.
That would really suck.
-------------------- Bruce Bowers
DrCAS Custom Lettering and Design Saint Cloud, Minnesota
"Things work out best for the people who make the best of the way things work out." - Art Linkletter Posts: 6451 | From: Saint Cloud, Minnesota | Registered: Jun 1999
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Last month I installed several of the green channel iron traffic posts. Pounded them in with the hand pounder. Although all lines were marked, the underground sprinkler system lines were not. It didn't occur to me, and like a needle in a haystack, I found one. The bill was $360 because I hit a main junction box with wires and stuff. I convinced the customer to split the bill with me.
Moral of the story: no one maps those sprinkler lines to the inch. Get a signed release absolving you of responsibility if you might hit one.
-------------------- Mark Casey Casey Sign Co., Inc. Berkley, MI Posts: 76 | From: Berkley, MI, USA | Registered: Mar 1999
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I donated a sign to the little town in OK where I own a place.
The sign looked good. I felt it should be mounted on 4x4's at least and Hoped they would use a level to get the horizontl straight cause it was on a slope that they were installing it.
I couldn't wait to go lend a hand when we saw them out digging holes and practilly begged my husband to stop and let me help. He just wouldn't listen about lending a hand but we did slip past in the car to check on the progress.
Went and had coffee at Drumright down the road and drove past again on the turn-around. Lo and behold, 4 of the biggest "I mean business" work over vehicles from the phone co. were out there with a Mountain of dirt on both sides of the road in front of city hall.
Needless to say we did NOT go and ask how things were going. It was several days later when we saw the mayor who praised the work on his sign and never mentioned any "trouble" at all. I'm sure it took several days for them to get over all thier trouble.
I give my husband Mike the credit for saving me grief on that one. I should listen to him more often.
Later, Sue
-------------------- Sue Avery Sign Shop Kountze, TX Posts: 67 | From: Kountze, Tx,, USA | Registered: Mar 1999
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This is a good heads up post. Before the sign biz the Hubby abd I were in the utility construction business. We averaged around 500,00 feet of gasline per year. Failing to call in a location or ignore expiration dates can eat your lunch. Underground coverage was very expensive and we had a large deductable.
My youngest son was making a highway crossing using a directional boring rig when he hit a fiber cable. We made the 12:00 news! You should have seen us trying to hide from the camera crew! Thank God we had XCU coverage or we would be living in a cardboard box under an overpass.
Never forget to call before digging even a flower bed. I have seen cable 6" deepand as far as 6' off mark.
-------------------- Kathy Joiner River Road Graphics 41628 River Road Ponchatoula, La.70454
Old enough to know better...Too young to resist. Posts: 1891 | From: Ponchatoula, LA | Registered: Nov 2000
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