Subdivision 1. Notice; repair. (a) If any damage occurs to an underground facility or its protective covering, the excavator shall notify the operator promptly. When the operator receives a damage notice, the operator shall promptly dispatch personnel to the damage area to investigate. If the damage results in the escape of any flammable, toxic, or corrosive gas or liquid or endangers life, health, or property, the excavator responsible shall immediately notify the operator and the 911 public safety answering point, as defined in section 403.02, subdivision 19, and take immediate action to protect the public and property. The excavator shall also attempt to minimize the hazard until arrival of the operator's personnel or until emergency responders have arrived and completed their assessment. The 911 public safety answering point shall maintain a response plan for notifications generated by this section.
(b) An excavator shall delay backfilling in the immediate area of the damaged underground facilities until the damage has been investigated by the operator, unless the operator authorizes otherwise. The repair of damage must be performed by the operator or by qualified personnel authorized by the operator.
(c) An excavator who knowingly damages an underground facility, and who does not notify the operator as soon as reasonably possible or who backfills in violation of paragraph (b), is guilty of a misdemeanor.
Subd. 2. Cost reimbursement. (a) If an excavator damages an underground facility, the excavator shall reimburse the operator for the cost of necessary repairs, and for a pipeline the cost of the product that was being carried in the pipeline and was lost as a direct result of the damage.
(b) Reimbursement is not required if the damage to the underground facility was caused by the sole negligence of the operator or the operator failed to comply with section 216D.04, subdivision 3.
Subd. 3. Prima facie evidence of negligence. It is prima facie evidence of the excavator's negligence in a civil court action if damage to the underground facilities of an operator resulted from excavation, and the excavator failed to give an excavation notice under section 216D.04 or provide support as required by section 216D.05.
History: 1987 c 353 s 12; 1999 c 43 s 1
Copyright ©2024 LegalFix. All rights reserved. LegalFix is not a law firm, is not licensed to practice law, and does not provide legal advice, services, or representation. The information on this website is an overview of the legal plans you can purchase—or that may be provided by your employer as an employee benefit or by your credit union or other membership group as a membership benefit.
LegalFix provides its members with easy access to affordable legal services through a network of independent law firms. LegalFix, its corporate entity, and its officers, directors, employees, agents, and contractors do not provide legal advice, services, or representation—directly or indirectly.
The articles and information on the site are not legal advice and should not be relied upon—they are for information purposes only. You should become a LegalFix member to get legal services from one of our network law firms.
You should not disclose confidential or potentially incriminating information to LegalFix—you should only communicate such information to your network law firm.
The benefits and legal services described in the LegalFix legal plans are not always available in all states or with all plans. See the legal plan Benefit Overview and the more comprehensive legal plan contract during checkout for coverage details in your state.
Use of this website, the purchase of legal plans, and access to the LegalFix networks of law firms are subject to the LegalFix Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.