While Ive heard and seen some issues with TWC, this tops anything Ive ever seen with them. Not to say some of the drivers are not at fault (going slightly faster than conditions warrant), this is also a big reason to slow down and move over for utility and public safety vehicles. That said they also have a responsibility to ensure the scene is safe. This is not a safe scene.
OK, I'm on those Comcast guys side on this one. Their truck in front of them is their only protection. People driving too fast in snow.
Comcast repairman doesn't give a damn that cars are sliding off the road to avoid his truck A Comacast repairman in Indianapolis has "a job to do" on a slushy, slippery steet. If cars slide off the road and collide because of it, so be it. UPDATE 12:38PM PT: Here's a statement from Ed Marchetti, SVP of Technical Operations, Comcast Cable. When I watched this video I was very concerned by what I saw. Our employees should always protect people and treat them with respect no matter what the situation. Safety matters most - especially in dangerous weather conditions like this. We are actively investigating what happened when our technicians were on site to restore services during an outage and we will reach out to those who were impacted by this incident. Within the next 24-48 hours, my team leaders will meet with our technicians across our company to use this as an example of how important it is to make everyone’s safety a priority in everything we do. And just as important, there’s no place for disrespect - treating people the right way is the only way to work.
I'm with Comcast's guys too, It looks like they were given an impossible job in impossible conditions and did not have the tools and training to effectively deal with it. Every day I'm out working on roadways I come into contact with Irate property owners, motorists and project stakeholders. What people don't realize is that there are traffic control procedures set down by each state governing lane closures. Those procedures can be confusing and they must be followed exactly. Why didn't the jerk holding the camera call highway patrol? EDIT; Looking at the video again people are driving way too fast for conditions. if you count the number of phone poles visible at 0:06 second timestamp there are about 5 spans (poles are typically 125' apart) thats 625'. The stopping distance from 40mph is 118' the cars slide is beginning at about 250' back and that doesn't count reaction time. visibility would appear to be in excess of 1/4 mile.
I agree that the cars are traveling too fast for conditions. Also, it probably wouldn't have hurt to put extra cones out since they did have them on the trucks.
People driving too fast, yes. State specifications for traffic control, yes. However, in most cases those specifications are minimum standards and provide language for different working conditions (visibility, hazards, etc.). Those Comcast guys did not give a crap at all. Any work site accident requires a work stoppage and a review of safety procedures. Those cones should have been placed up over the hill or the work should have been postponed due to unsafe conditions for Comcast and others.
Its been said on a few other websites that these guys were breaking several state, and federal (OSHA) regulations on traffic control with closing a lane. Agreed people need to slow down, but so much more safety equipment needed to be deployed. Minimum is signage, extra distance (their stated 10feet /cone per 10 miles rule is bogus) up to a quarter mile, and depending on the regulation, a flagger.
Instead of yelling at Comcast guys, that guy could have went to top of the hill and been waving arms to slow down. He would have done more good doing that.
Having done exactly that Im mixed about it. When I did/do it I've a full set of safety gear on. Having no gear, and with conditions as they were, theres a good chance he would have just caused a wreak by distracting drivers, or them overreacting. That or they would have just ignored him. You'd be surprised how many folks will ignore a safety worker.
Saw something earlier today (on phone) that stated the Comcast crew was not at fault. If is tumble on it again I will post.
I need some clarification. Ar you saying my post was a clarification or are you asking me to be more clear? Law enforcement said the repair crew was not a t fault.
Indianapolis police confirmed in a statement to Snopes.com on 14 December 2016 that the crash seen in the video was reported as a hit-and-run, because the pickup truck left the area after both crashing into the car and destroying a mailbox: It appears that speed was a factor in the hit-and-run crash. The suspect truck was likely going too fast for the weather conditions. Per our Traffic Unit, the number of cones and cone placement are an acceptable standard and best practices via OSHA guidelines. From what has been seen in the video the drivers of the Comcast truck did not break any laws. It should be noted that the weather conditions here on yesterday were slick and hazardous, and that several other vehicles navigated that area without a problem (as seen in the video). So while the encounter was contentious, authorities declared that Comcast was not in violation of any guidelines. However, they did confirm Lusk's statement on his YouTube account that he had received an e-mail threat following the release of the video. http://www.snopes.com/comcasts-car-crash/
