Truck clips pole, knocks out power

 

A tractor-trailer knocked out power in areas of Alachua Tuesday evening after clipping a power pole and downing electric lines.

ALACHUA – A tractor-trailer traveling southbound on U.S. Highway 441 in Alachua Tuesday evening clipped a power pole in half. The truck driver was attempting to turn around and made a right hand turn onto NW 149^th Place thinking it would lead back out to 441 when the truck hit the pole, breaking it in half.

Power lines were detached and electricity was knocked out in areas of the city. City of Alachua utility crews worked around the clock to restore power to residents and businesses that were affected by the outage. A majority of the power outages experienced lasted nearly six hours, but some residents were without power until 5:30 Wednesday morning due to the magnitude of the damage.

“Whenever a crash occurs involving high voltage power lines and transformers, we not only worry about injuries from the impact itself, but also secondary injuries caused by the sheer voltage contained in the downed lines,” said Alachua Police Department Officer Jesse Sandusky. “Thankfully, there were no injuries reported as a result of this crash.”

The total cost of damages is currently estimated at $20,000. The truck is registered to Stevens Transport, Inc., of Dallas, Texas. Truck driver Jamall Norman Kezwick, 28, of Mound Bayou, La., was cited for careless driving.

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