BRODHEAD - A dump truck driver who mistakenly left his vehicle's box up damaged power and cable lines in Brodhead Thursday, leading to a power outage that lasted about 45 minutes.
The truck snapped poles, popped fuses and tore down overhead wires while traveling eastbound in the 1800 block of 1st Center Avenue at 10:53 a.m., said Jeff Peterson, superintendent of Brodhead Water and Light.
The driver, Glenn Day, 78, rural Brodhead, was cited for illegal height of vehicle. He made another trip before returning to the area near the downed wires, said Brodhead Police Chief Chris Hughes. With help from witnesses, Hughes said, police identified the truck and stopped it at 11:24 a.m. at the intersection of 17th Street and East 2nd Avenue.
The street reopened at 12:11 p.m.
About half the town experienced a power "dip," where the lights flicker momentarily, Peterson said. He said 43 of the utility's customers were totally without power for a short period. Peterson said some Charter TV subscribers lost service temporarily because the truck also hit two of the company's cable lines, one fiber and one copper.
No injuries were reported.
The incident served as a reminder of how dependent many industries are on access to the Internet, Peterson said. He said his office received calls from multiple banks and from the Monroe Clinic branch in Brodhead, which stayed open during the outage but did not have access to its electronic health records system.
Brodhead Police were assisted by the Wisconsin State Patrol and the Green County Sheriff's Office.
The truck snapped poles, popped fuses and tore down overhead wires while traveling eastbound in the 1800 block of 1st Center Avenue at 10:53 a.m., said Jeff Peterson, superintendent of Brodhead Water and Light.
The driver, Glenn Day, 78, rural Brodhead, was cited for illegal height of vehicle. He made another trip before returning to the area near the downed wires, said Brodhead Police Chief Chris Hughes. With help from witnesses, Hughes said, police identified the truck and stopped it at 11:24 a.m. at the intersection of 17th Street and East 2nd Avenue.
The street reopened at 12:11 p.m.
About half the town experienced a power "dip," where the lights flicker momentarily, Peterson said. He said 43 of the utility's customers were totally without power for a short period. Peterson said some Charter TV subscribers lost service temporarily because the truck also hit two of the company's cable lines, one fiber and one copper.
No injuries were reported.
The incident served as a reminder of how dependent many industries are on access to the Internet, Peterson said. He said his office received calls from multiple banks and from the Monroe Clinic branch in Brodhead, which stayed open during the outage but did not have access to its electronic health records system.
Brodhead Police were assisted by the Wisconsin State Patrol and the Green County Sheriff's Office.