data from NOAA/NWS
Over the Wire
Public Hearing: City Council Committee on Transportation
Con Ed and the City’s efforts to reign in stray voltage
January 24, 2008
The father of Jodie Lane, who was killed by stray voltage in Greenwich Village in 2004, testified that "stray voltage is a problem today." City Councilman and Committee Chair John Liu agreed that the public is being misled by claims that the city is safer now from stray voltage. Testimony was heard from Council and city officials; Con Ed and utility representatives; and the general public, including Blair Sorrel of infraShock.com. The City Council's Briefing Paper released prior to the meeting is available for review.
DeChillo/The New York Times
January 18, 2008
"Stray Voltage Still a Problem 4 Years Later," states the New York Times in its CityRoom posting. Read the article and its associated blog responses.
January 18, 2008
Read Con Edison's 2007 Report on Stray Voltage Detection and Electric Facility Inspection, presented to the New York Public Service Commission.
Labrador shocked on Boston Sidewalk
February11, 2008
A dog survived a powerful shock while walking on a sidewalk in South Boston. "He yelped and jumped up about two feet off the ground, came back down and I realized he had gone over some electricity in the sidewalk," reported the dog's owner, who was unaware of the hazards of stray voltage prior to the incident. (WCVB/TV, Boston)
Multiple Pedestrian Shock Incidents in Chicago
February 7, 2008
Five pedestrians suffered electrical shocks on a slushy street, the third voltage-related incident in less than a week. The source of the most recent shocks was not immediately known. Earlier in the week, multiple incidents reportedly were related to a light pole and a heated grate used to melt snow. (Chicago Tribune)
Electrical Short in Light Pole: Possible Cause of Florida Fire
January 17, 2008
A mountain of tires at a Florida recycling plant were ignited, possibly by a nearby electrical short in a light pole. The fire covered an area half the size of a football field and caused very heavy smoke, as seen in the video from
BayNews9
and reported by
FloridaToday.com.
Livery Cabs Guard Hot Spot at Lincoln Center
December 21, 2007
While waiting for available crews to repair hazardous electrical conditions, Con Ed has been dispatching livery cab drivers to remain parked at the scenes as a measure to keep pedestrians safe. Telltale signs include an orange conEd cone on the roof, a dashboard sign indicating an "extremely dangerous electrified object or structure, and the nearby yellow "Caution" tape surrounding the potentially electrified source. Photos from December (right) captured one such livery cab parked across the street from Lincoln Center. Originally reported on May 3rd, 2007, by NY1 and the Daily News .
Dog Shocked, Upper West Side
December 14, 2007
A dog survived an electrical shock from a metal plate on the sidewalk at the corner of 72nd Street and Amsterdam Avenue (see photos, right).
One Man, Two Dogs Shocked in NYC in One Month
November 2007
November presented a variety of weather conditions, and electrical shocks were reported in one person and two dogs who came in contact with urban metal fixtures. InfraShock will continue to keep you up to date on incidents related to stray voltage.
From the Archives
Hermann / NY Daily News |
Damon Winter/New York Times |
NY1 News |
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- Dog in SoHo Hit With 100-volt jolt
- NY Daily News, Aug 30, 2007
- An 11-year old Labrador retriever stepped on a wet manhole cover, "let out a series of blood-curdling yelps - and collapsed." The dog survived, but it took "three 911 calls and over two hours before authorities showed up at the scene and started investigating" while trying to keep passersby away from the danger.
- A Moment of Stray Voltage, and a Life Upended
- New York Times - Aug 8, 2007
- Philip Vanaria suffered a brain injury when he was shocked by stray voltage as he talked on a pay phone in the West Village a decade ago. Read the compelling followup story.
- DOT To Outfit Streetlights With LED Detectors
- NY1 - Jun 6, 2007
- The Department of Transportation announced plans to place LED detectors on 150,000 light poles in NYC. The devices are designed to "glow brightly if the light poles become electrified."
- Second Dog Electrocuted In Lower Manhattan In As Many Days
- NY1 - Feb 18, 2007 and ...
- Dog Dies on a Downtown Sidewalk, Possibly Electrocuted
- New York Times - Feb 15, 2007
- A 1-year-old Boston terrier was apparently electrocuted after crossing an icy manhole cover on a downtown sidewalk. The dog "suddenly lifted his paws, yelped in pain and went limp."