A Cape Cod woman says she and her husband are lucky to be alive after nearly hitting an electrical line despite calling Dig Safe.
Kristin Carboni spends her days keeping a pack of dogs on the move. The Brewster, Massachusetts, homeowner runs a boarding and training business called Peace Love Dogs at her wooded property on Cape Cod.
Earlier this year, Carboni and her husband decided to install an agility course to get the canine customers the exercise they need. However, before the dogs could enjoy the attraction, the couple needed to install a fence.
That's when they called Dig Safe — the nonprofit service that notifies all utility companies to mark their lines within 72 hours before a project begins.
"I thought we were good to go," Carboni said. "We got the 'all clear' from four different companies."
Once they received the green light, Carboni's husband fired up the heavy machinery and started digging holes for the fence posts.
When we visited the property, Carboni showed us the exact spot where she heard a strange noise and screamed at her husband to stop what he was doing.
Investigations
"He pulled up the auger and there was a huge conduit that came out of the ground," Carboni said.
A photo provided by Carboni shows how the auger came within centimeters of contacting a high-voltage electric line.
We asked Carboni what could have happened if she hadn't been standing feet away from her husband as he excavated.
"He would be dead. Absolutely," Carboni said. "It tears me up a little bit. I don't mean to be overly dramatic, but one more second, and he could have been dead. It terrified me."
So why wasn't the electrical line properly marked to warn of the danger?
We contacted a spokesperson with Eversource, who provided the following statement:
- Following a thorough investigation into the incident, we confirmed that the original records from the installation of the underground electric service by a private contractor did not indicate that the cable extended onto private property, which is why it was not marked by our subcontractor. Following this event, we promptly repaired the damaged plastic conduit and updated the mapping for the area to reflect the underground electric service more accurately.
This incident underscores the importance of our company-wide safety initiative, which involves reviewing and updating older records, enhancing our Geographic Information System (GIS), and refining our mark out procedures to strengthen safety and improve the accuracy of locating and marking underground infrastructure.
With safety always our top priority, we strongly recommend that homeowners and contractors, regardless of ground markings, carefully expose and verify underground areas using a shovel before beginning any excavation.
Jennifer Cabrera manages the pipeline safety division for the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, which oversees the state's Dig Safe laws.
"It can be very dangerous to hit a live gas line or electrical line," Cabrera said.
Eversource received a violation notice for the scary situation on Carboni's property. According to DPU records, there have been roughly 350 violations assessed to utility companies in the past year, which result in millions of dollars in outstanding fines.
In the wake of the Merrimack Valley gas explosions, Cabrera said the state strengthened Dig Safe laws and now requires anyone who knows of damage to file a report, whether you're a utility worker, a contractor or a homeowner.
Carboni was surprised to get a warning letter in the mail because she did not report the incident on her property.
Cabrera said the approach is meant to educate the public and likened it to a car crash, where police or insurance companies want to hear from all parties involved.
"If we are not informed of the information, then we don't know what caused it and how to prevent it for the next excavator," Cabrera said.
One thing that is important to emphasize: Utilities are not responsible for marking private lines on your property. For instance, it could be an electrical line running to a backyard shed or a gas line that feeds a grill or pool heater.
In those cases, homeowners would have to hire their own locator to mark the lines.
The fence is now up on Carboni's property, and the dogs are enjoying the agility course. When we visited, red flags installed after the incident still dotted the yard, indicating the path of the underground electrical main.
Carboni wants to make sure her close call serves as a lesson for the public.
"What made me call you is I feel very blessed and grateful that we didn't die," she said. "And the fact that we didn't die means it's my job to educate people so that nothing like this ever happens again."
