You could win a prize by reporting wire hazards in March.

Utility wires, telephone lines or metal cables across the sidewalks can trip people up and cause serious injury.  The more wire hazards you report in March, the more chances you have to win! Prizes include a digital pedometer, a gift certificate to Phidippides shoe store, PEDS t-shirts and more.

This year’s wire hunt includes Alpharetta, Atlanta, Conyers, Decatur, Dunwoody, Marietta, Newnan, Roswell, Sandy Springs, Stone Mountain, and unincorporated Clayton, Cobb, Dekalb, Fulton and Gwinnett counties.  Help rid the sidewalks of hazards like these:

How to Win

  1. Find and record the location of hazardous wires (telephone lines, cables or other utility wires) in the pedestrian path, and if possible, take photos. To make it easy, use our printable reporting form.
  2. Submit your wire reports and photos using our online hazard reporting tool.
  3. Cross your fingers.

PEDS will hold prize drawings on March 17 (might be your lucky day!) and March 31.  Of course you can report other pedestrian hazards online any time, but you will be eligible for prizes only when you report wire hazards in March.

Questions? Contact Jo Ann Zyla at 404-522-3747.

Background

In February 2006, John Lamb, age 40, sustained fatal injuries when his bicycle became entangled with loose utility wires hanging from a pole located at the intersection of Peachtree Street and Peachtree Battle Avenue. Witnesses said the loose wires had been hanging for several months and obstructed most of the sidewalk. Four months later, a young child who was playing on a sidewalk in the south side of Atlanta lost his leg in another incident involving loose utility wires.

The family of John Lamb hired Richard W. Hendrix of the Atlanta law firm Finch McCranie, LLP to investigate his death. A retired FBI agent who investigated the scene determined that numerous other sidewalks on Peachtree and nearby streets were also obstructed by loose wires hanging haphazardly and dangerously from utility poles.

In December 2007, the Lamb family settled the wrongful death suit they filed against Georgia Power, Bell South, and the City of Atlanta. In hopes that some good emerges from the tragic loss, Finch McCranie, LLP made a donation to PEDS to enable us to raise awareness of the dangers caused by poorly maintained utility wires and to increase the capacity of our online hazard reporting tool.

In honor of the donation made by Finch McCranie, LLP and to help prevent future injuries, PEDS is pleased to coordinate this Wire Hunt. During our last Wire Hunt, PEDS volunteers found and reported over 200 hazardous wires. With documentation in hand, PEDS successfully prompted the City and utility companies to clear the wires from the sidewalks.