Incidenthistorical
PHMSA Report 20130053
DTE GAS COMPANY — Gas transmission and gathering — incident on 2013-05-21
Current as of 2013-05-21 Government source
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Gas transmission and gathering incident in HINTON TOWNSHIP, MECOSTA County, MI. Reported cause: OTHER OUTSIDE FORCE DAMAGE. Reported consequences: 0 fatalities, 0 injuries, 484 NATURAL GAS released, $119,000 reported property damage. Operator-reported incident data submitted to PHMSA, generally within 30 days. Records may be supplemented or corrected and do not represent final agency causal findings.
Report number: 20130053.
Operator ID: 12408.
Reported incident date: 5/21/2013 12:35.
Location detail: MP 7.92
Cause detail: DAMAGE BY CAR, TRUCK, OR OTHER MOTORIZED VEHICLE/EQUIPMENT NOT ENGAGED IN EXCAVATION
Cause detail: THE DRIVER OF A PICK-UP TRUCK SUFFERED AN APPARENT MEDICAL CONDITION AND LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE, CAUSING IT TO LEAVE THE WESTBOUND ROADWAY OF 5 MILE ROAD. THE VEHICLE CROSSED 100TH AVENUE, CONTINUING WESTERLY AND CRASHING THROUGH THE GATE SURROUNDING THE HINTON 5 METER/SEPARATOR ASSEMBLY. THE VEHICLE CROSSED THROUGH THE STATION YARD AND STRUCK THE SEPARATOR PIPING, CRACKING THE 2-INCH STEEL PIPE FROM THE SEPARATOR, STARTING A LEAK AT APPROXIMATELY 500 PSIG. THE DRIVER APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN DECEASED PRIOR TO THE VEHICLE STRIKING THE SEPARATOR PIPING. LEAKING GAS DID NOT IGNITE, AND THERE WERE NO OTHER INJURIES. DTE GAS PERSONNEL WERE ABLE TO CLOSE VALVES AT THE SITE AND THE LEAKING GAS WAS STOPPED WITHOUT FURTHER DAMAGE. THE WRECKAGE OF THE VEHICLE AND THE DESTROYED METER/SEPARATOR PIPING WERE REMOVED, AND THE FACILITY REMAINS OUT OF SERVICE. DISCUSSIONS ARE UNDERWAY BETWEEN THE GAS PRODUCER AND DTE GAS AS TO WHETHER THIS FACILITY IS EVEN REQUIRED TO BE REPLACED AND REACTIVATED.
PHMSA trend classification: significant incident, not serious.
PHMSA standardized cause: OTHER OUTSIDE FORCE DAMAGE — VEHICLE NOT ENGAGED IN EXCAVATION.
PHMSA indexed costs: $151,935 reported total cost, $79,151.431 in 1984 dollars, $192,991.552 in current-year dollars.
PHMSA trend flags, standardized causes, and indexed costs are analytical fields added to operator-reported incident data. They do not represent final agency causal findings.
This material provides agency context. It does not replace binding regulatory text, and its legal effect depends on the underlying authority and facts.