MANUEL BARRANADA, APPELLANT,
v.
FLORIDA POWER LIGHT COMPANY, APPELLEE
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Manuel Barranada was injured when a metal pipe being hoisted made contact with an uninsulated FPL power line at a construction site. The court affirmed summary judgment for FPL, holding that FPL owed no duty to protect against Barranada's injuries where the power lines complied with applicable safety codes and FPL was not asked to take preventive measures.
FPL had no duty to protect against the injuries suffered by Barranada because the power lines complied with applicable safety code standards, FPL was not requested to take any preventive measures, and it was not reasonably foreseeable that workers would not follow the construction company's plan to avoid using the alleyway for material delivery.
[1] A utility company owes no duty to protect against injuries caused by uninsulated power lines when the lines meet applicable safety code standards and the utility was not…
[2] A contractor's decision to proceed with work in proximity to overhead power lines, without requesting protective measures from the utility, can negate the foreseeability…
Previewing 2 of 3 headnotes on this case. FLexlaw’s editorially structured points of law — every proposition, pinpointed — are reserved for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence“As FPL had no duty to protect against the injuries suffered by Barranada under the circumstances presented in this case, the final summary judgment in favor of FPL is affirmed.”
The court's holding that FPL owed no duty to the injured worker under the facts presented.
Previewing 1 of 3 key quotes on this case — the court’s exact language, pinpointed for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceOn March 7, 2000, Barranada, a sprinkler installer, was using an improvised pulley to hoist twenty-one-foot metal pipes at a construction site in Cora…
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FLETCHER, Judge.
Manuel Barranada appeals an adverse summary final judgment entered in favor of Florida Power & Light Company [FPL] in this personal injury action. For the following reasons, we affirm.
On March 7, 2000, Barranada was employed as a sprinkler installer at a construction site at 255-265 Aragon Avenue in Coral Gables. Barranada was using an improvised pulley erected by another subcontractor in the alleyway adjacent to the building for the purpose of hoisting into the interior metal pipes twenty-one feet in 'length. He was seriously injured when one of the pipes being hoisted came into contact with an uninsulated power line located on the opposite side of the alleyway, fourteen feet nine inches from the building under construction. This distance is greater than the minimum of seven feet five inches required by the National Electric Safety Code [NESC] as adopted by section 366.04(6)(b), Florida Statutes (1999).1 The company managing the construction directed the subcontractors not to stage any materials in the alleyway or bring any pipes through the windows overlooking the alleyway. The company did not ask FPL to take any preventive measures.
Barranada sued FPL alleging negligence in not securing the power lines. On FPL’s motion, the trial court entered summary judgment on a finding that FPL did not breach any duty owed to Barranada.
On appeal, Barranada relies on this court’s decision in Pacheco v. Florida Power & Light Co., 784 So. 2d 1159 (Fla. 3d DCA 2001) to challenge the trial court’s ruling. We find, however, that circumstances in this case are more similar to the Second District’s decision in Smith v. Florida Power & Light Co., 857 So. 2d 224 (Fla. 2nd DCA 2003). This is so because in this case the location of the power lines met the code standard, FPL was not asked to take any preventive measure, and it was not reasonably foreseeable that the workers would not follow the suggested plan of not using the alleyway for delivery of materials. As in Smith, the contractor here specifically determined that it could safely work around the overhead lines and so did not request that FPL reroute, de-energize or insulate the power lines. In Pacheco, the location of FPL’s power lines violated the standards of the applicable codes and the contractor had requested FPL’s protection from the lines.
As FPL had no duty to protect against the injuries suffered by Barranada under the circumstances presented in this case, the final summary judgment in favor of FPL is affirmed.
. Which reads in pertinent part:
"The standards prescribed by the current 1984 edition of the National Electrical Safety Code (ANSI C2) shall constitute acceptable and adequate requirements for the protection of the safety of the public ...”
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
Citator
Cited By
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Biglen v. Fla. Power & Light Co., 910 So. 2d 405 (Fla. 4th DCA 2005)…ivities in proximity to its lines that foreseeably created a risk of injury. Id. at 236. We agree with the analysis in Smith which supports the holding in this case that no legal duty existed. Following Smith, Barranada v. Florida Power Light Co., 905 So. 2d 167 (Fla. 3d DCA 2005), held that a power company was not under a duty to protect a plaintiff from its power lines. The Barranada plaintiff was employed as a sprinkler installer at a building under construction. He used an improvised pulley in the alle…
Authorities Cited
- Pacheco v. Fla. Power & Light Co., 784 So. 2d 1159 (Fla. 3d DCA 2001)
- Smith v. Fla. Power & Light Co., 857 So. 2d 224 (Fla. 2d DCA 2003)