KANSAS GAS SERVICE

Incident Narrative

ON THE MORNING OF JANUARY 30, 2012, GLEN NIEHUES, WITH N-LINE LAWN SERVICE, WAS TRENCHING NEAR A NATURAL GAS DISTRIBUTION MAIN EASEMENT WITH A VERMEER VIBRATORY PLOW AT 1912 SW ARROWHEAD RD. DURING HIS TRENCHING OPERATIONS, MR. NIEHUES HIT THE JUNCTURE WHERE THE NATURAL GAS SERVICE LINE CONNECTED TO THE MAIN, SEPARATING THE TWO LINES AND CAUSING NATURAL GAS TO DISCHARGE FROM KANSAS GAS SERVICE'S MAIN AT A PRESSURE OF APPROXIMATELY 45 PSI. MR. NIECHUES WAS EXCAVATING UNDER AN EXPIRED LOCATE TICKET AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. DESPITE THE EXISTENCE OF PREVIOUS LOCATE MARKINGS AND THE EXCAVATOR HAVING POT-HOLED THE SERVICE LINE, THE SERVICE LINE WAS HIT BY MR. NIEHUES. SOMETIME AFTER THE SERVICE LINE WAS HIT, MR. NIEHUES CONTACTED KANSAS GAS SERVICE AND REPORTED THE INCIDENT AT 10:37 A.M. KANSAS GAS SERVICE'S FIRST RESPONDER ARRIVED ON THE SCENE AT APPROXIMATELY 11:05 A.M. AND SUMMONED A WORK CREW. AS THE WORK CREW BEGAN MAKING AN ASSESSMENT OF THE SCENE, THE HOUSE AT 1905 SW NAVAJO LANE, LOCATED ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE GAS DISTRIBUTION MAIN EASEMENT, CAUGHT FIRE AND EXPLODED. THE HOUSE AT 1905 SW NAVAJO LANE WAS OCCUPIED BY LUCINDA TOLLIVER. MS. TOLLIVER WAS SPOTTED AND RESCUED FROM THE HOUSE BY A KANSAS GAS SERVICE EMPLOYEE. SHE WAS HOSPITALIZED AND LATER DIED. 12/3/13 - NO ADDED INFORMATION - CHANGED STATUS FROM ORIGINAL TO FINAL. BDK