TV reporter launches suit against ENG firms

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Suit claims manufacturers knew of dangers but did not supply safety devices

A Los Angeles television reporter, almost killed when the mast of her TV newsvan hit a power line, Thursday sued four companies that make the electronic newsgathering gear that has revolutionized modern broadcasting.

A lawyer for ABC7 reporter Adrienne Alpert said dozens of TV employees all over the country had had similar accidents because the manufacturers of the equipment knew about the dangers but did not supply safety devices to avoid them.

Alpert had her left forearm, part of her left foot and her lower right leg amputated last May after suffering severe burns when the telescoping microwave mast on her TV van struck an overhead high-voltage power line.

Small vans equipped with satellite dishes and tall masts, known in the business as electronic newsgathering or ENG gear, have become a common sight in recent years and allow reporters to broadcast news as it happens from almost any location.

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The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, seeks an unspecified amount of damages against Will-Burt Co., Microwave Radio Communications, Quick Set International and Mobile-Cam Products. Alpert’s employer is not named because of ongoing workers’ compensation proceedings.

“Our contention is that as originally designed and manufactured, the equipment foreseeably will come into contact with overhead lines,” Alpert’s lawyer Bruce Broillet told a news conference.

He added: “With that foreseeable knowledge, the manufacturers, designers and installers of the equipment have an obligation upfront to provide the proper safety devices so that these types of tragedies don’t happen.”

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