Two accidents in Brunswick County cause power outages; who’s responsible for cost of damages?

BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WWAY) – What happens in cases like in Brunswick County on Tuesday where two separate incidents involved a snagged power line and a truck that crashed into a power pole? Who is responsible for the cost due to extensive damage, and power outages as a result?

According to Brunswick Electric Member Corporation Spokesman Brookes Versaggi, they work closely with law enforcement; BEMC will do the repairs and then get reimbursed once the people or person responsible can be located.

According to Duke Energy Spokesman Jeff Brooks, there has been an uptick in the number of snagged lines and downed poles in the Cape Fear, and adds this normally happens in areas that experience rapid growth.

When this type of accident happens, the party involved is held responsible for the cost related to the damage, according to Brooks.

“There’s a process that Duke Energy works to identify the responsible party, he said. “So, if it’s a business that does it or an individual we follow up and work to seek recovery for those damaged costs because ultimately our goal is to, whenever possible, avoid our customers from having to incur the costs of someone else’s mistakes.”

Brooks and Versaggi urge anyone who witnesses an accident to take a picture and then report it to their local law enforcement.