Truck Accidents 360 Newswire

PORT TOWNSEND, WA – A semi trailer truck got caught on power lines and tore down two utility poles early Monday morning, September 27, on the Puget Sound Peninsula of Washington State. The truck accident occurred at the intersection of Washington State Route 20 and Cliff Street in the city of Port Townsend, WA and would cut off electricity for almost 2000 business and residential customers. The accident area is in the northwest section of Washington State on the Puget Sound, about 98 miles north of Olympia, WA.

Early Monday morning George Roundtree was driving a semi trailer truck south on State Route 20, also known as Sims Way. The semi cab with a 48 foot trailer is owned by United Food Industries, an international company. Mr. Roundtree had just made a delivery at the Port Townsend Co-op and was leaving the town. The exact cargo of the truck is not known but it is believe to be some type of food product.

The truck accident occurred at about 5:30 a.m. as the tractor trailer drove through the intersection of Cliff Street near the Union Bank in the south section of Port Townsend. The semi truck got caught on power lines and communication cables that ran overhead from the John Scott building, stretching across the highway and connecting with a roadside advertising billboard.

The driver continued to move forward for a short distance after the truck accident snapping a utility pole which the truck dragged for about 100 feet before coming to a stop. The downed utility pole and lines fell across the highway, blocking traffic lanes. A second pole at the intersection of Cliff St. and Sims Way also came crashing down. A transformer exploded, and witnesses said it looked like “A bolt of lightening”.

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No other persons or vehicles were involved in the truck accident however three city street lamps were also knocked down.

The downed lines included a section of a 115 KV highline transmission loop belonging to the Puget Sound Energy Company. The truck accident cut off power for the region, affecting about 1,900 homes and businesses in the town.

East Jefferson Fire Rescue Units responded to the scene of the incident. The truck driver was reportedly able to get out of the cab and was not injured in the truck accident. Police also rushed to the scene and blocked off the area, keeping people and vehicles away from the down lines. The truck accident had an immediate impact throughout Port Townsend, cutting off electricity to homes, the Grant Elementary school, Jefferson Healthcare Hospital, and a number of businesses including grocery stores, gas stations, restaurants, shops, and offices.

Puget Sound Energy Company crews arrived at the site of the truck accident and began to work to restore power to the community. They worked on erecting new utility poles and attaching new cable and power lines. At around 10:30 a.m. Monday the crews had power restored for about 1,100 of their customers. They would continue to work throughout the day to restore electricity for the remaining customers. Traffic was rerouted to Discovery and Mill Roads while the various crews worked.

The homes and businesses nearest the truck accident scene would wait all day for power and all lines were up and working at about 7:30 p.m. Monday evening.

At this time no charges have been brought against the truck driver. Authorities investigating the incident have not released their findings and it is not known if the truck accident was caused by driver error or if the power lines were hanging too low.

The truck accident remains under investigation.

Truck Accidents 360 is a truck accident lawyer news blog that reports on up to date truck accidents across the United States. Since trucking laws are governed by hundreds of regulations, it is important to consult with truck accident lawyers who know the trucking laws for each state. Find out more information about Washington truck accidents.

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