Semi Crash Causes Power Outage

A semi-truck crashed into a utility pole on N. Harris near Snappy Mart in Willow Springs and caused a short-lived power outage. A 911 call at noon on June 14 alerted Willow Springs Police Department and Willow Springs Fire Department to the crash. The truck knocked over the pole and attached lines, which were both on the ground and on the truck. 

Eleven Point Rural fire also responded to the scene, and the two fire departments blocked traffic in both directions as City crews worked to repair the damage. 

According to City Administrator Beverly Hicks, the crash disabled an entire circuit and cut power to approximately 150 electricity customers, including businesses, south and west of Valley St. Though the outage was widespread, it was short-lived. Hicks said the power was back on within the hour. 

The lines that were actually damaged in the crash were cable and fiber optic lines. The City’s electrical lines were attached to the same pole, and because of the tension when the pole fell, the reclosure went out on the line. Restoring power was as simple as turning the reclosure back on to see if it would stay on, Hicks said. 

“[The reclosure] did its job,” she said, “It kept people from getting hurt.”

The utility lines were not so easily repaired, and crews could be seen working on the damage as late as Thursday morning.