Report: Live wire near light rail exposed for ‘months’
A DAMNING report into how a Sydney schoolgirl received an electric shock near the light rail has found the rogue wire was likely exposed for months and two homeless people were shocked in the same location a week before.
NSW
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A DAMNING report into how a 15-year-old schoolgirl received an “industrial strength” electric shock near the Sydney light rail project has found the rogue wire was likely exposed for four months before the incident and two homeless people were shocked in the same location a week before.
The independent report released today by Transport for NSW Secretary Rodd Staples also found the disaster may have been avoided entirely if the design of the Roads and Maritime pit had not been half the standard depth — only 300mm deep compared to the usual 600mm.
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Newtown High student Anna Lambden almost died on June 10 when an electric current surged through her as she walked next to a construction zone on the corner of Ultimo and George streets at Haymarket in wet socks.
Minister for Roads and Maritime Melinda Pavey said she had phoned Ms Lambden’s mother this morning to express her “sincere apologies” over the incident.
“As the mother of a 15-year-old girl myself I was deeply concerned when I heard what had happened,” she said.
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“It shouldn’t have happened and the independent report released today will ensure it never happens again.”
Ms Pavey said she had instructed the RMS to implement “every single one” of the recommendations made by the investigator, which focus on strengthening independent checks within RMS traffic signalling maintenance systems.
They also suggest the “consideration of extra support for safety assurance by the Secretary if required”.
Ms Pavey said she was “furious” at how the incident had occurred — especially revelations in the report that a “breakdown in communications” had occurred within the transport cluster resulting in Ms Lambden’s family not being contacted in a timely manner.
“Although the medical, police and maintenance responses were timely and effective, a breakdown in communications meant the serious nature of the incident and response actions taken at the scene were not known or communicated across the cluster until almost 24 hours later,” the report noted.
“I am furious at how this could have happened and how the Transport cluster itself in the aftermath event handled itself,” Ms Pavey said.
“I have put them on notice — it simply wasn’t good enough.”
Ms Pavey said she had also contacted the contractor responsible for managing the pits who did not provide information in a timely way to express her disappointment.
The report concluded the incident was caused by an electric cable being compressed between the lid of a traffic signal pit and its supporting frame.
However, it said it was “likely” the situation may have existed since February 2018 — four months before Ms Lambden was shocked.
“The compression caused the insulation around the wire to be worn away, presenting an opportunity for the exposed wire to energise the pit lid,” the report noted.
However, the pit in question is unique and unlike the other 33,000 pits in Sydney — it was dug in the lead-up to the Sydney Olympics in 2000 and is shallower than the standard design.
It was noted the “design of the pit is likely to have contributed to the incident”. Mr Staples said the pit would be modified to conform to the typical pit design across the rest of Sydney but couldn’t confirm it was a one-off.
The report also found two suspected homeless people potentially received an electric shock at the same location no less than a week earlier. However, this was not reported at the time.
Ms Pavey said efforts had been made to contact the homeless victims but the government had not been able to locate them.
But despite the comprehensive investigation, it’s still unknown which party is at fault over the incident.
Mr Staples said the last recorded access to the pit was made in February by a subcontractor but acknowledged it was possible another party had accessed the pit since that time.
Ms Lambden’s mother Viola Morris said her daughter was still “traumatised” from the incident and will seek compensation from the state government.
Ms Morris, who fronted the media with her solicitor this afternoon, said the report revealed the Sydney light rail project was a “dog’s breakfast and my daughter was nearly killed because of it”.
“We are focusing on Anna’s recovery. She continues to be affected by her injuries and we hope all the recommendations are followed so no family needs to go through this again,” Ms Morris said in a statement.
Her solicitor, Kristian Bolwell, said the incident was a “preventable disgrace”.
“There’s been a near-death experience of my client and... significant trauma for her mother who listened to her daughter screaming in agony as a consequence of being electrocuted,” he said.
“We say that’s an outrage. There are 30,000 of these pits in NSW - there’s 30,000 chances of significant harm or injury to other people. “
Mr Bolwell said the lack of communication from the government in the four days after the incident was “a significant trauma as well”.
“The message to the Premier is: you’ll be hearing from us.”
He said it was disappointing the government hadn’t come forward with an offer of compensation.
Asked about the wellbeing of Ms Lambden, he said: “She’s traumatised, as you’d expect. It was a near death experience, significant pain for a long time - she’s not well.”