[dle]

http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dw....369d2921.html

Truck snags power lines, blacks out Ennis

09:38 PM CDT on Saturday, April 5, 2008

WFAA-TV Staff

ENNIS — Much of Ennis was in the dark Saturday night after an 18-wheeler clipped some power lines.

The driver was making a U-turn in the 1700 block of Oak Grove Road late Saturday afternoon when the top of his trailer made contact with the wires, which were sagging due to recent heavy rains.

Four utility poles were pulled to the ground by the time the driver realized what was happening.

At 8 p.m. Saturday, one-third of the city — population 18,000 — was still without power.

Oak Grove Road is a 2 lane road with no shoulder, with nice sloping grassy areas on both sides. We have also had some rather drenching rain here recently.

[Fozzy]

Sorry.. I'm gonna have to side with the driver here unless he was off the road and or in some spot during this turn that no truck ever would end up there. I'm NOT saying that this driver was justified making a U turn by the way, just saying that unless the truck was somewhere that no other truck was supposed to be (like a residential area) ,then this is the city's fault! I pulled some cables down in some little town in California one day while doing LTL "home deliveries". The cops where there and they told me that if the wires are not at 14 foot above the street, then it was not my fault and just tome me to go ahead and make the deliveries.

P.S. I've never heard of rain making any cables or wires droop unless it later turned to ice..

[Malaki86]

I used to work for a FedEx Home Delivery contractor. I drove a 1/2 ton Chevy van with a raised roof (you could almost stand up inside it). I've torn lines down with that thing.

Like the last poster said - if a line crosses the road, it has to be at least 14' from the roadway. I've seen the state have to pay to repair (or replace) brand new cars that were on a carrier and struck branches overhanging the road that were too low.

[dle]

In the area that it happened there is an industrial area on one side residential on the other. There is also a distribution center just a bit down the road.

The only time I've ever heard that power lines sagged due to rain was when the poles were not set correctly and the poles them selves leaned over.

Curiousity got the better of me this afternoon and went out to look in the area. I couldn't see any tangible proof that a u-turn was made or that poles were even pulled down.

[golfhobo]

I don't see what the U-turn had to DO with it. He would have taken them down if he proceeded. Backing up might have worked, but IF he had room to make a U-turn BEFORE he reached the wires..... no problem. Apparently, he didn't see them at all.

[dle]

that's the problem the road is too narrow with no shoulders i can't see where a u-turn could have even been attempted.

i am wondering if he pulled out of the industrial area, snagged a wire going across one of those roadways, turned onto Oak Grove and just pulled the wires from the poles. Then maybe after going down a little bit, he realized that his trailer was not where it was supposed to be and stopped.