Local News (DFW) Blew IT Big Yesterday- Pipeline Breach

[DEMDeepEllumMusic]

OK I guess a lot of people have heard about the 36 inch natural gas pipeline that was breached by a crew drilling holes for power line towers that created a 500+ ft high fireball that was about 15 miles south east of granbury.

First I see the whole situation as a big mess, when watching the helicopter video it indicates that there is a power substation being built in the area (you could see the large concrete pad and some of the equipment for it about a mile from the accident) and that the power poles were being put in to lead the power lines to or from it from some generator (maybe the nuclear plant). So who puts a power substation in an area that has a lot of underground pipelines running right next to it? (there are at least 2 in the area since the news sources were naming one company with lines there and it turns out a second companies line was breached). Really watching the chopper video you could plainly see that there are pipelines in the area since the pathways of the pipelines are clear of trees and brush for a certain distance. Didn't it occur to these installers to try to figure out why the land is a clear strip there?

Now to the big mess up by the news, the reports of 3 dead! THEY WERE TAKINg THIS NUMBER from one person in a county office, not on the scene,that was not verified by a second source as FACT! This # was picked up by the national news and even the PBS news hour! SHAME SHAME SHAME!

I knew something was off when they said there was a crew of 8 people (turned out to be 14) and 6 went by their own trucks to a local hospital and one was careflighted out to Ft Worth (first reported as Dallas) which would leave one missing from the 8! Then they said that there were 10 missing! How can you have 10 missing when only 8 were there? Finally about 7 hours after the accident did they get it straight- 1 dead (the drill operator), 6 in local hospital (all but one released), one careflighted to Ft Worth and 6 others who were not injured.

One station even called it a gas processing plant explosion-guess some moron saw the empty concrete pad almost a mile away and called that the plant!

Really it comes down to a crew of idiots- I mean 14 guys and not one verified that the area was clear of pipelines!- drilling a hole in a 36 inch pipeline and killing one of their own!

I give the local reporters a D- for the misinformation- while I give the helicopter pilots a B+ for shooting the scene.

I wonder what insurance companies are going to be all over this since I bet a lot of $$ was burned up in that gas that was released! At least $250,000 in equipment burned up!

[Atfulldraw]

you are right about the bad reporting, but probably way off on the value of the equipment.

kinda like that guy the other day, looking at my camera with grip, tele-converter, 70-200, and filter asked "wow, I bet that cost like a thousand bucks!?"

yep, pretty close, (not counting the lens and body......)