OUTER BANKS, N.C. – A major lawsuit involving power outages back in July and August 2017 has been settled for the amount of $10.35 million.
According to documents provided to News 3, the settlement resolves litigation over whether PCL Construction Enterprises, Inc. wrongfully severed the power to Hatteras Island and Ocracoke Island from July 27 through August 4, 2017.
7,700 Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative customers were without power on the Outer Banks. The affected areas included Avon, Buxton, Frisco, Hatteras, Rodanthe, Waves and Salvo.
At the time of the outage, the company said during construction of the new Bonner Bridge it drove a steel casing into the underground transmission cable that runs between the south end of the bridge and the overhead riser pole, causing the transmission outage.
The Wallace and Graham law firm in Salisbury, N.C. has announced a lawsuit against PCL Civil Constructors, Inc. in the wake of the power outages that crippled Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands on North Carolina’s Outer Banks on July 27.
The lawsuit was brought on behalf individuals and businesses who have been affected since the outage happened during peak tourist season. Plaintiffs include Briggs McEwan, who claims to have lost thousands of dollars from his local pizza and home rental business in Rodanthe, and Tami Lynette Gray, who said her charter boating business in Frisco has suffered significant losses.
PCL denied any liability for the outages.
Those available to funds from the settlement are businesses on the islands, if you rented a vacation property or rented homes to vacationers on the islands or if you are a permanent resident on the islands.
To see more about the settlement,click here.
Related links:
Repairs to damaged Hatteras Island, Ocracoke Island power lines could take up to two weeks
Contractors sued over Hatteras and Ocracoke Island power outage
Crews make progress with overhead solution to restore power to Hatteras, Ocracoke Islands
Hatteras, Ocracoke power outage can be seen from space
Thousands of customers lose power on Hatteras Island, Ocracoke Island
