Personal experience...Re: [BC] KSDK

[Mike McCarthy]

Having experienced this myself and lived to tell about it, I can speak with 
some authority on the matter.

The end results all depend on the motion of the vehicle at the time of 
contact.  In our case, we were rolling at about 30MPH when the power lines 
were struck. Knowing what happened at that instant and knowing that the 
mast would either pull out and/or fold back nicely, we kept going for 
another block or so to make sure we had no chance at still being in contact 
with the now down overhead lines, the now fully extended 40 ft. mast, and 
the 150ft. or so of NYCoil cable.

We then JUMPED from the vehicle to the ground landing on one foot so as to 
not permit current flow through the legs until we were sufficiently clear 
of the vehicle and inspected the trailing debris. The talent and me (both 
Catholics) said a very hearty "Thank you Jesus!!!" as bystanders came 
running over to check us out...which was another hazard if they get too 
close to the van and not knowing it's charged condition....

Had we stopped when the mast hit the overhead lines, we too would have 
suffered the same fate as the KLOU van.

In our case. the mast didn't nest properly and we drove off with it in that 
condition.  That was my fault for not double checking the mast before 
getting into the van and driving it.  No matter what anyone says, that 
operator/driver IS at fault for not doing his job properly and the station 
is at fault for not having the staff properly trained AND the mast 
interlocked to the van's transmission of the van was being driven at the 
time. (I disagree with the practice of locking out the engine start/run 
switch.  There are times where the engine needs to run.  Especially if the 
remote van doesn't have a generator.)

In our case, suffice to say, the van was outfitted with a transmission lock 
so that the van could not be moved when the mast is in any location but 
fully nested.

 From that incident, I now carefully examine any mast as well as the air 
valve to make sure the mast is FULLY nested and the vavle is closed so that 
the mast can not be sucked up while driving.  I still did remotes for them 
after that event, but they took that opportunity as a cue to back off on 
the number of remotes they did since they were doing 3 a weekend and the 
whole remote thing was starting to sound rather tired on the air.

Bottom line, learn from those who have been there, then live on safely.

MM

At 08:58 AM 1/31/2006 -0500, DHultsman5 at aol.com wrote
>
>In a message dated 1/30/06 6:26:16 P.M. Central Standard Time,
>jyrussell at academicplanet.com writes:
>
>
>Well, when I was driving the van, as I drove under the power lines,  the
>movement of the metallic mast through the power lines' electric  field
>generated a magnetic field so strong that it just literally  magnetically
>
>
>
>****************
>
>And I thought all those masts were made of lightweight aluminum, a non
>ferrous metal???????
>
>
>Dave
>
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