08/18/2005

Families
sue city on College Pt. electrocutions

By
Scott Sieber

Joseph Cheetham and Alana Berenson died
last year after they were electrocuted by a downed power line.

One year ago a young College Point
couple driving in a summer thunderstorm down 15th Avenue and 117th
Street in College Point died tragically when they stepped out of the
car into the electrically charged waters flooding the intersection.
A live power line was submerged in the flooded street, prompting the
parents of the couple to question how it got there and why the
intersection was flooded in the first place.
Last week, both
families filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city and Con
Edison in Queens Supreme Court to find out why.

"Con Ed was
working on the block that day and packed up rather quickly when the
storm came," said Berenson's father, Bruce. "We think the proper
safety measures were not taken. There's been complaints for years
about flooding on that block."

The couple, Alana Berenson,
19, and Joseph Cheetham, 23, both students at Maritime CUNY, got
caught in the Aug. 11, 2004, storm when their car stalled out in the
flooded intersection. When the car began taking on water, Berenson
stepped out of the car into the water coursing with 4,000 volts.

When she began screaming, Cheetham, a Pittsburgh native,
braved the waters to try to save her, but he also succumbed to the
electrical current.

Emergency workers arrived, but could not
reach the couple until Con Ed turned off the power. They retrieved
their bodies an hour later.

"Losing a child is unlike
anything else that can happen," said Bruce in a recent phone
interview from his College Point home. "There's a lot of moments in
a day. For some of them you're okay and some you're not. You can
switch back and forth in the blink of an eye."

The families'
attorney, Evan Torgan, said he has witnesses to the incident who saw
the Con Ed crew working on the power line throughout the day. The
crews left in a hurry when the storm started, he said, and shortly
after the power line went down.

"Who's going to be blamed
for that wire going down," he asked, "and the Pepsi Cola plant
across the street has been complaining for years about difficulties
getting trucks in and out because the street would flood."

The families are suing for an undetermined amount of money.
Torgan said the amount should be left up to a jury. They are
currently waiting for a response from the agencies.

"If what
came about because of this is this area became a safer block, then
that would be great," Bruce said. "Unfortunately, it's only money
that makes people like this sit up and take notice, otherwise
there's no real leverage."

City Law Department spokeswoman
Shira Strassman issued a statement in response to the suit saying
"obviously, these cases involved very tragic circumstances. We have
not yet received legal documents regarding a suit, but we will
evaluate any incoming papers carefully."

Con Edison Monday
could not be reached for comment.

Reach reporter Scott
Sieber by e-mail at [email-masked] or by phone at
718-229-0300, Ext. 138.

©Times Ledger 2005