Good Things Can Come From Bad Events

Good things can come from bad events. It doesn't lessen the pain or consequence but can prove to be a coping mechanism to continue on into a happy and fulfilling life. Such is the story of Craig Kroon Van Diest. A young 19-year-old helping a neighbor install a CB antenna on his home in 1975. In the process of placing the 60' ground plane antenna on the top of a 40' triangular tower he came into contact with a newly installed 115 kV line along the boundary of their back yard. His misunderstanding of the hazard and the lack of warnings from the local utility added up to change his life forever. Quietly taking solace in the fact that his incident resulted in simple changes made in the utility industry that have since saved countless lives from a similar fate, he struggled in the most engaging and friendly way the rest of his life gladly sharing his lessons learned. Good things can come from bad events but this is no reason to wait for an event to occur before making needed changes. Examining the lessons learned from this one event in 1975 and an honest look at what misunderstood hazards may exist in many facilities today can assist companies and utilities alike in making positive changes before unfortunate events can occur.