Cutting a high-voltage power line - video

[Jon]

[Frank S]

What am I missing here? the guy has hold of the end of a downed high tension power line which is obviously still energized as evidence when it hits the ground, yet it was not showing any arcing while hung on the metal street lamp pole.

[metric_taper]

Frank, I was bothered by this as well. I looked for a link, but only found the news story that had the police officer interviewed. But It lacks any technical explanation (TV news media source). I'm believing this was a low tension line, appears to have insulation, and somehow a high voltage short contacted it right at the same time it hit the ground. But even that seems remote in probability.
There clearly is something else going on that is not being told.

[Toolmaker51]

What draws my suspicious nature; that sky looks early evening when the rain suit guy whips the loose end. Then, suddenly it's dark. No flaring from overexposure, it's uniform.

[metric_taper]

This really did occur. I watched it Tuesday morning on ABC news.
This was taken from a police car dash camera. Manchester New Jersey.
The camera exposure is affected by the brightness of the arc flash.

[Frank S]

This really did occur. I watched it Tuesday morning on ABC news.
This was taken from a police car dash camera. Manchester New Jersey.
The camera exposure is affected by the brightness of the arc flash.

Ok I think I saw a transformer flash a couple of times You are probably right it did look insulated at least if the black color had anything to do with it. If it broke from the secondary side of the transformer it would only have been energized by being back fed from where ever it went to down line. The transformer could have had dozens or shorted coils inside and possibly instead of sending 120 or to 240 single line voltage it may have sent a couple 1000 colts to the switchgear panel or what ever it was connected to. and being shorted the fuses may not have blown for some reason or they could have charred and not fell out of connection. it might not have been until the fault reached the substation that the power finally went off.
Electricity can be funny in the way it finds away, almost as if it has a self preservation to life at times.
A line man showed me some pictures of a pair of 35/50 transformers sharing a pole with another pair, both had their tops blown completely off yet somehow the secondary's were still energized for a while.

[Ralphxyz]

Also the news story on CBS said the worker was wearing insulated boots gloves and insulated suit, that was not rain gear.

Ralph

[VinnieL]

I wonder if his underwear was insulated. I know if that had happened to me I would have filled mine up......

[Ralphxyz]

It is strange that he just grabbed the cable with his hand usually they use a pole.

The news report also said they would be a review if all standard practices were followed.

Apparently some announced the line was dead, even the cop had been told it was dead.
Ralph