Questions and answers about the NTSB’s role in investigating the PG&E gas explosion and fire in San Bruno:
Why is the National Transportation Safety Board investigating?
Pipelines are considered modes of transportation because a product (natural gas) travels through them. Therefore, the NTSB investigates pipeline accidents that involve a fatality.
Will the NTSB hold the wrongdoer accountable?
No.
Hearing about the San Bruno explosion brought back memories of another PG&E explosion that killed two, injured three others, and destroyed an apartment building in Santa Rosa. In fact, the Wall Street Journal even mentioned that explosion in its article discussing the San Bruno blaze.
I spent 4 years prosecuting the case against PG&E on behalf
The California Bar’s Chief Lawyer is warning victims of the San Bruno explosion about unethical lawyers, and about the best way to select an attorney. The full text of the warning letter is set forth below. The highlights:
Underground gas lines can leak because of corrosion, because they were improperly installed, or because they were damaged by a contractor’s backhoe during a street repair project.
A leak may be PG&E’s fault. Or it may not be.
But it’s always PG&E’s job to find leaks in its equipment. It is supposed to do this in
I’ve listened to PG&E engineers on the "gas side of the house" try to convince me that natural gas leaks are not really that dangerous. They have argued that you need more than just a leak to end up with a fire or explosion.
First, they say, you need the proper mixture of gas
A friend heard that PG&E was accepting responsibility for the San Bruno gas explosion. Wrong. They aren’t. PG&E’s statement is cleverly worded to avoid accepting responsibility until the case against it is proven. Read it carefully:
If it is ultimately determined that we were responsible for the cause of the incident, we will take accountability.
Once
Red Cross Shelters:
San Bruno Emergency Hotline: (650) 616-7180
Legal:
If you have been affected by the
1. "You couldn’t have suffered a brain injury if you didn’t lose consciousness."
Not so. A brain injury results from any traumatically induced disruption in brain function. The victim needn’t have "blacked out" to have suffered a brain injury. A disruption of brain function may be evidenced by the victim’s inability to recall
There’s no longer any debate. Tires older than six years should be discarded and replaced, even if they otherwise appear to be in good condition with plenty of tread. In fact, they should be tossed out even if they’ve n
ever been used. That’s because tires older than six years are prone to "detreading." Detreading
California’s "financial responsibility" law requires that all motorists carry a minimum level of liability insurance in case they cause an accident. That includes an accident that hurts a cyclist. The problem is that the minimum coverage ($15,000) is enough to 
cover minor injuries only. If any hospital stay is involved, the minimum coverage is unlikely to be
