A crane attached to the back of a semi-truck reportedly brought down three BC Hydro power poles in Parksville on Wednesday afternoon (July 14).
The downed poles, near Herring Gull Way and Franklin’s Gull Road in an industrial park, impacted nearby businesses, with reports of power outages.
One of the poles landed on the back of a box truck, while the other two remained sprawled in the street.
Due to concerns of active power lines, the driver of the semi and the driver of the box truck remained inside their vehicles until BC Hydro could confirm the downed lines were not live.
Parksville Fire Department personnel were on scene to secure the area and manage traffic, closing off the intersection of Herring Gull Way and Franklin’s Gull Road.
BC Ambulance personnel were also on scene, but no injuries were reported.
READ MORE: Dump truck in Nanaimo snags power lines, snaps hydro pole, crashes
Graham Atwell, the driver of the box truck, said he was waiting along the side of the road to make a delivery when he witnessed the semi exit the Bay Line Commercial Vehicle Inspection Facility. According to Atwell, the crane brought down the power pole beside it, causing it to crash onto the back end of his own truck.
“I just heard the explosion and saw the pole come down,” he said. “I didn’t know it landed on my truck right away. These poles came down way too easily, as far as I’m concerned. There should’ve been some fail-safe to make it not happen.”
Atwell’s box truck was the only vehicle impacted by the downed poles.
“I’m just glad nobody got hurt. And that it didn’t land on the cab of my truck.”
The driver of the semi did not wish to comment.
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