PG&E blows up on me

What a circus!!
And what bad timing.
At the very moment my son Hendrik, is blowing out the three candles on his birthday cake I am sitting here on HWY 280 watching a flurry of activity – fire trucks, policemen, people in orange jackets (maybe PG&E), ambulances, etc. They are hosing and sweeping off the HWY. Traffic has been stopped and diverted to Woodside Road, and even the cars who were past Woodside were turned around and sent back. I am the only civilian witness.

And how did I get here? And why am I still here?

I had to work an open house at school (It is a Sunday) and was on my way home to Hendrik’s birthday party. (also the first time we are having a couple friends over to our new house – only a couple as the house is not ready for a full on party yet). I had just gotten on 280 and was accelerating up the hill in the slow lane when I saw a bunch of dirt shooting into the air. Imagine what it would like if a 30 foot tall dog was digging in the dirt and it was flying out between his two back legs. This was happening at the top of the hill about 100 feet above the freeway. As I approached the explosion it continued to grow in size until it was shooting debris 50 feet in the air and looked more like a volcano erupting than anything else. It began looking like I was going to get hit as I drove past. In my blind spot was a car that was slowing at my same pace so there was no chance of me switching lanes, instead I drove right through the plume of dirt, gas (I smelled it as soon as I hit it) and unfortunately large rocks that was avalanching down the hillside. The first rock passed under the car but the second one was way to big and my car bounced over it. Then I heard the grinding and dragging noise that let me know my car was messed up. I pulled over and called 911.

As I stood there on the phone a mudslide actually was rushing down the hill and out onto the freeway. It sent enough water and mud out into the first two lanes of traffic that cars were hitting it and sending HUGE spays in both directions. Traffic slowed, people crept around to the fast lane. The mudslide continued for a few minutes.

One girl stopped to find out what happened to me – she saw it happen as well. Then she left and I now sit here alone.

I walked down the freeway to talk to the firemen and police. Mostly I wanted to make a police report so I would not have to pay for the damage to my car, but I also figured I was the only witness and the fire department might like to know what happened.

As I approached the firemen one asked in a sarcastic voice if I was lost. I told him that my car had been damaged by the explosion and I was looking to make a police report, I also mentioned that I could tell them what happened if they wanted to which he replied “It is obvious what happened!” in other words, get lost. Another fireman asked me what I saw, I told him I smelled gas as I drove through the cloud and they were all surprised as it was water that they saw in the mudslide. When I told them there was definitely a strong gas smell even Mr. “it is obvious” changed his tone a bit and they decided to take further precautions.
Then I went to the police. I told one I was hoping to make a report. When I told him my car was damaged by a boulder he asked “was it moving?” A dumb question in my mind but whatever, he told me someone would come talk to me once they determined it was safe enough to come over to where I was parked. So I walked back through the scene to my car, where I am now, and where I have been for over an hour now.

Here comes someone finally!!

Well a very nice guy from PG&E came to check out the damage. He told me they were using water to pressure test a gas pipeline and no one expected this to happen – ‘what a disastrous failure’ was what he kept saying. He gave me his card and took my contact info. Someone else, also very nice, called that evening. The guy who called had even heard that I missed Hendrik’s bday. So PG&E is going to pay for our car to get fixed (which I was actually able to drive home) but what do you think they should do to make up for me having to miss Hendrik’s party?

At least no one was hurt – I will live to see another Bday or two…

There is an article here that talks about the ‘driver’ (me) who called 911 and the one car that got damaged (mine).



http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2011/11/06/pge-pipeline-explodes-causes-mudslide-on-i-280-near-redwood-city/#comments