At around 9:30 a.m. on March 1, a tractor-trailer was traveling on Montvale Ave in Stoneham, Massachusetts, when it snagged a power line and broke seven utility poles before it stopped. The resulting chaos caused at least 400 homes to lose power and created a haz-mat spill from the insulating mineral oil from the transformers that fell.
It’s been a rough day for utility crews trying to replace the poles a truck snapped apart after it snagged a low-hanging power line. – YouTube: WCVB TV
The semi appears to be a rental for a still unnamed carrier. We do not know if it was loaded or empty at the time of the incident.
No injuries have been reported from the crash. Downed power lines entangled a UPS truck and three passenger vehicles, trapping one woman inside her car until firefighters rescued her.
NBCBoston interviewed Nadia Vargas, the woman who was trapped in the car, who was behind the truck as it snagged the power wire. “I could see the pole in front of me. I was like, ‘If I don’t get crushed by this pole in front of me, I’m going to get crushed behind me,’ so it was very scary. It kind of settled on me that I had a near-death experience.”
Parts of Montvale Avenue were closed Wednesday night as crews worked to replace the utility poles and repair the wires. Officials hope to have the repairs completed and Montvale Ave. reopened by Noon, Thursday, March. 2. Exit 27 of I-93 was also closed to detour traffic around the incident.
Truckers should always be careful in areas with low-hanging overhead wires. Wires can sag a great deal from ice buildup in the winter and during summer from heat expansion of the rubberized coating on the wires.
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