  Tiorted Member Username: Tiorted Post Number: 22 Registered: 02-2006 |
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pb cs.dll/article?AID=/20061102/U PDATE/611020452 Identity of man found electrocuted remains a mystery Santiago Esparza / The Detroit News DETROIT -- Authorities today continued working to determine the identity of a man found dead Wednesday near a DTE Energy utility pole with a transformer affixed to it. The man apparently was trying to steal copper wiring from the pole, said Detroit Police Sgt. Omar Feliciano. A DTE crew about 3:15 p.m. found the man face-down on the 7350 block of Lyndon on the city's west side, Feliciano said. The man was dead and burned beyond recognition. He was wearing a tool belt with tools in it and a pair of pliers was on the ground near the man, Feliciano said. Nearly 5,000 watts of electricity is believed to have passed through the man and Feliciano warned that people should not try to get copper form utility poles to sell as scrap. "It is dangerous," he said. | ||
Eastsidedog Member Username: Eastsidedog Post Number: 801 Registered: 03-2006 |
Scrappers should practice safe-scrapping and steal copper from houses instead. Of course abstinence is the only guarantee of safety. | ||
Livernoisyard Member Username: Livernoisyard Post Number: 1661 Registered: 10-2004 |
There used to be a household-appliance device for cooking wieners during the 1950s and 1960s that did pretty much the job the electricity did on this citizen. You think he blew himself up like some of those hot dogs? | ||
Supersport Member Username: Supersport Post Number: 10823 Registered: 10-2003 |
YAY! Another scrapper dead.  | ||
Cambrian Member Username: Cambrian Post Number: 267 Registered: 08-2006 |
Funny and yet tragic, like that Carol Burnette Show episode when the clown died. | ||
Thnk2mch Member Username: Thnk2mch Post Number: 481 Registered: 02-2006 |
Did anyone check for fillings? | ||
Focusonthed Member Username: Focusonthed Post Number: 603 Registered: 02-2006 |
Good riddance. Nature at it's finest. | ||
1953 Member Username: 1953 Post Number: 1074 Registered: 12-2004 |
I'm usually quite ok with the demise of scrappers, but anytime one acquires the phrase, "burned beyond recognition," I feel a little remorse. Corpse mutilation is slightly past my threshold of pain that I will allow inflicted on the criminals of this world. | ||
Pam Member Username: Pam Post Number: 612 Registered: 11-2005 |
I think that was the Mary Tyler Moore show. | ||
Jimaz Member Username: Jimaz Post Number: 922 Registered: 12-2005 |
More fodder for the Darwin Awards. <sigh> | ||
Supersport Member Username: Supersport Post Number: 10824 Registered: 10-2003 |
On our dog walk tonight my neighbor commented that he can only hope that it was the same guy that stole his down spouts off his house....TWICE! | ||
Psip Member Username: Psip Post Number: 1274 Registered: 04-2005 |
I think that would be 5000 volts not watts. That would do the trick. | ||
Livernoisyard Member Username: Livernoisyard Post Number: 1664 Registered: 10-2004 |
Wire the down spouts the next time to a convenient transformer. I have my own "pole pig" transformer--a 5200 V 5 KVA unit that was picked up from Reddy Kilowatt at the Milwaukee power utility in 1970 for its $9.65 salvage value. [It makes part of a super-power ham rig.] And they even drained the PCBs from it. | ||
Psip Member Username: Psip Post Number: 1275 Registered: 04-2005 |
Is that your modulator or B+ ? | ||
Livernoisyard Member Username: Livernoisyard Post Number: 1665 Registered: 10-2004 |
Getting technical details wrong is very common with newspaper reporters, especially today's crowd. Just why do journalism majors graduate from college at the very bottom of the totem pole--salary wise--of four-year degrees? Less than half the starting pay of a typical electrical or chemical engineer. | ||
Rhymeswithrawk Member Username: Rhymeswithrawk Post Number: 115 Registered: 11-2005 |
Wow, how shocking. Sorry, couldn't resist. | ||
Superduperman Member Username: Superduperman Post Number: 157 Registered: 01-2005 |
If it was near a residential neighborhood than more than likely he was trying to steal electricity rather than the actual copper wire,nonetheless this was tragic.,.. | ||
56packman Member Username: 56packman Post Number: 692 Registered: 12-2005 |
he won't have the guts to do that again | ||
Gravitymachine Member Username: Gravitymachine Post Number: 1377 Registered: 05-2005 |
ZAP! | ||
Ndavies Member Username: Ndavies Post Number: 2283 Registered: 10-2003 |
Actually Watts is the correct term in this case. Volts alone will not kill you. It's the number of watts running through you that kill you. When you get hit with static those charges are in the 10,000 to 20,000 volt range. Static electricity just has no sustainable current. Ohm's law states Watts = Voltage * current. High voltage with no current = safe. High current with low voltage = safe. The voltage is needed to overcome the natural resistance of skin. It's the watts that do the cooking. | ||
Psip Member Username: Psip Post Number: 1278 Registered: 04-2005 |
Watts usually refers to the amount of energy used or work done. Voltage kills you when there is sufficient current available to accomplish the desired task. In other words, if you have a 110v light bulb and 110 volts, but only have 10 milliamps available, the lamp will not light. You will blow the fuse. The device, (person) is the load, with 5KV, and unlimited current, the wattage will be whatever it takes to get the job done. What the article is saying is that someone took the time to figure out the amount of energy used to kill this fool. (maybe the billing dept?) We are on the same page, just arguing about semantics. | ||
Wazootyman Member Username: Wazootyman Post Number: 148 Registered: 02-2006 |
Actually, it's current that kills, voltage isn't a factor - well, sort of. The only reason voltage matters is because of Ohm's law. Higher voltage results in higher current flow through a fixed resistance. Resistance can vary greatly depending on moisture content, and whether the conductors have broken the skin. As little as one milliamp can cause cardiac arrest, yet high currents don't necessarily kill. This is why electrical medical equipment is so heavily regulated (tiny leakage currents can be fatal), and yet a lightning strike with a potential of millions of volts doesn't always kill. Just to elaborate a little on power calculations - Watts is not directly calculated from voltage and current, unless the load is purely resistive (an incandescent light bulb, heater element, etc). In most cases, an additional element called the "power factor" is required to calculate Watts. The power factor is determined from how much the current leads/lags the voltage. I won't get into the EE background on it, but pretty much all loads have a non-ideal (less than 1.0) power factor. Power companies hate this, incidentally, because they only bill residences for real power (Watts, or kilo-Watt-hours), but have to size their equipment to handle the apparent power (VA). This is why transformers are rated in volt-amperes (VA) as opposed to Watts. | ||
Psip Member Username: Psip Post Number: 1279 Registered: 04-2005 |
Thank you Wazootyman Thats what I was trying to say. | ||
Janesback Member Username: Janesback Post Number: 121 Registered: 08-2006 |
HES ALIVE , HES ALIVE...........I just loved those old Frankenstein movies, dont you? Especially when Egor would climb up on the roof of the castle , hooking up Dr. F's instrument, so they could attract lighting....... Get a buzz for the old doc...... Personally, scrappers are like taggers.......one less problemed person removed from society. Case closed | ||
Rjlj Member Username: Rjlj Post Number: 174 Registered: 11-2003 |
I hear this guy was doing v=ir calculations before he attempted to cut the wires. I your too lazy to get a real job, it is safer taking back cans. | ||
Rustic Member Username: Rustic Post Number: 2896 Registered: 10-2003 |
unfortunately the scrapper got hit with a phasor on set on kill ... | ||
Greeno11 Member Username: Greeno11 Post Number: 46 Registered: 02-2004 |
I knew that guy. He really knew how to light up a room. HEY--OOO | ||
Ramcharger Member Username: Ramcharger Post Number: 117 Registered: 05-2006 |
Police find stockpiles of stolen copper At least these seven people were caught before they managed to kill themselves. If copper prices continue to rise as quickly as indicated in this article, the scavengers will soon pick clean what little is left of this city. | ||
Supersport Member Username: Supersport Post Number: 10877 Registered: 10-2003 |
Seriously, would the closing down of every goddamn scrapyard in the city really be a bad thing? Let them open in the suburbs, take their business elsewhere. They do way more harm to the city than good from their taxes they pay. | ||
Gravitymachine Member Username: Gravitymachine Post Number: 1391 Registered: 05-2005 |
I think the scrappers are getting lazy. I left a broken window A/C unit on the curb and instead of taking the whole thing, they cracked it open and only took the heat exchanger, not even the motor which is full of copper. for shame scrappers, for shame! | ||
Eastside Member Username: Eastside Post Number: 966 Registered: 01-2005 |
With the general lack of respect for human life floating around in this thread...it's now clear why some of you hacks aint got a problem with the collateral damage that result from police pursuits. | ||
Livernoisyard Member Username: Livernoisyard Post Number: 1744 Registered: 10-2004 |
"With the general lack of respect for human life floating around in this thread..." The cascade of dangerous events starts with the criminals, not the police. You don't seem much concerned with any collateral damage from the ubiquitous criminals whom you are shielding, directly or indirectly. Those guys are dangerous at any time--not just those times when the police just happen to be around. (Message edited by LivernoisYard on November 15, 2006) | ||
Noggin Member Username: Noggin Post Number: 77 Registered: 09-2004 |
Since DTE did not post warnings about climbing poles and sticking one's hands onto the high voltage lines some shyster lawyer is going to sue for millions of dollars for the families of that poor thief...oops I mean victim. Maybe they can also sue the police department for not stopping him. Stay tuned! | ||
Dds Member Username: Dds Post Number: 22 Registered: 10-2006 |
Spoken like a true Detroiter. | ||
Janesback Member Username: Janesback Post Number: 142 Registered: 08-2006 |
With the general lack of respect for human life floating around in this thread...it's now clear why some of you hacks aint got a problem with the collateral damage that result from police pursuits ------------------------------ ---------- I truly think Eastside that these citizens only want to live in a safe clean enviornment to work and raise a family. If people "choose" to steal, to ruin the quality of life for people in a neighborhood, then they need to go. If you are going to jeapordize your life and health to " steal" then suffer the consequences. If you choose to run and 'NOT OBEY" police officers when they tell you to comply , then you suffer the consequences. Its all about choice. No one cares if a scrapper dies when he makes the wrong mistake and suffers the consequences........really, no one cares... | ||
Yvette248 Member Username: Yvette248 Post Number: 136 Registered: 10-2006 |
Sounds of the violin playing......... | ||
Jerome81 Member Username: Jerome81 Post Number: 1181 Registered: 11-2003 |
How much freaking cash are we talking here? A few bucks? Jesus, are things that bad? Seems retarded to me. I say he got what he deserved. | ||
Lilpup Member Username: Lilpup Post Number: 1474 Registered: 06-2004 |
One of my dad's employees hooked his own electrical up on the pole after Edison had disconnected him. It was pretty amazing since he was stinking drunk at the time. If he had gotten zapped he probably wouldn't even have felt it. | ||
Hybridy Member Username: Hybridy Post Number: 36 Registered: 08-2006 |
people who play with fire sometimes get burned and if burned, hilarity will ensue | ||
Supersport Member Username: Supersport Post Number: 10879 Registered: 10-2003 |
Eastside, I will continue that every last scrapper who gets fried for playing around with 5,000 volts, thank you very much. You really are telling us a lot about yourself. You feel pitty for those who steal from Detroit property owners as well as city owned property. You also fully support letting people steal vehicles without allowing for police to pursue them. Have you ever thought about running for mayor? | ||
Eastside Member Username: Eastside Post Number: 969 Registered: 01-2005 |
Don't put words in my mouth based on your false assumptions. I find something obscene about actually cheering death on...(per your "yay" comment") The guy brought about his own demise with stupidity...but to cheer his death? I aint about all that. Thats what I'm telling you about myself. |
