http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/06/07/2246250/pipeline-rupture-sparks-titanic.html
What happened to the locate before you dig theory....?? my sympathies to the family on the loss of their loved one.
This morning the company says they had done locates as well as maps of the line. There was another gas line hit yesterday that killed 2 on the Texas/Oklahome border.
Where I have had the pleasure of digging near gas transmission lines, we had to get locate, then HAND DIG to verify before any machine hit the ground. We could not even grade a road with the grader until this was done. That prevents scenes like this. In the pictures, you can clearly see the pipeline right of way on either side of the blast site, so they had to know something was there. Always verify!!!
This whole incident makes a little more sense now that I see the pictures. Looks like they were drilling for a new pole. It seems drillers are always getting themselves in trouble. So much so, that a lot of environmental clients are changing their requirements. Most environmental companies that have drilling done have a set of stringent requirements. First step is to use the one call service. Second, any well/drilling done, is soft excavated 2 six feet deep, and twice the diameter of the auger. It is required that the driller shows up with, or has a sub with a "air knife" or vacuum trailer for this reason.