Construction Crew Accidentally Hits McKinney Gas Line
McKINNEY (CBSDFW.COM) - An emergency situation had emergency crews and utility workers out in the city of McKinney.
A major gas leak caused authorities to shut down the intersection of Eldorado Parkway and Stonebridge Drive. The precautionary action was taken after an eight-inch gas line was ruptured.
"A contracted crew was doing some construction work and actually, accidentally stuck our line," Atmos Energy spokesperson Jennifer Ryan explained. "Luckily [there were] no injuries whatsoever and no evacuations at this time."
The driver of the backhoe is being credited with helping prevent a hazardous situation and possible explosion. Utility workers say instead of turning off the backhoe the operator left the equipment running – thus preventing setting off a spark.
"The person that was operating that backhoe was able to jump off of it without any injuries," Ryan said of the worker.
At first it was thought that a children's daycare center and nearby nursing home would both have to be evacuated, but that was unnecessary.
The gas leak happened near McKinney Methodist Hospital. Administrators say there were a few minor disruptions at the facility because of the leak. One surgery had to be postponed and a hospital entrance was shut down for a short period.
Crews with the McKinney Fire Department remained in the area for more than three hours, monitoring area air levels. Officials say at no time did environmental conditions become dangerous and no one was injured in the incident.
