Since the blast last month, it was suspected that the explosion was not just a freak occurrence. Now there is proof and it is starting to complicate matters. Con Edison and the city want to get everything back to normal as quickly as possible and two lanes were opened on Lexington this week, but due diligence is still needed with lawsuits pending and people that demand accountability instead of a cover up. Well the fight between the tow truck driver's lawyer and Con Ed is about to heat up.
From The Daily News:
A crucial Con Edison steam valve wasn't working just before last month's deadly steampipe explosion, a bombshell affidavit from a top state regulator says.
The "steam trap," just feet away from the blast site at 41st St. and Lexington Ave., was supposed to drain water out of the steampipe to prevent a catastrophic condition called "water hammer," which causes water to slam into itself with incredible pressure.
The stainless-steel trap was installed in December 2006, but preliminary tests after the explosion revealed it wasn't operating and had a possible debris buildup, according to the sworn statement by Thomas Dvorsky, an engineer who heads the state Public Service Department office in charge of steam service.
So there was definitely a pre-existing problem. City and state officials want to cut the trap open to investigate, while the manufacturer of the device says that it was designed to keep water away even if it failed. The lawyer for Gregory McCullough also has reservations:
McCullough's lawyer Kenneth Thompson has blocked the tests, saying the utility can't be trusted to investigate itself.
"I do not want this to happen to any other family," said McCullough's mother, Tanya McCullough-Stewart. "He does cry. You can see the pain in his eyes."
Of course that is an emotional appeal (well-deserved of course, the poor guy is facing possible amputation of an arm and a leg) but so what. An independent observer needs to be brought in to oversee this, I wouldn't trust Con Edison either.
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