WATERVILLE — A truck driver was temporarily stuck in his tractor-trailer Thursday morning after the trailer snagged electrical wires on Maple Street, according to police.
Paul Wasserott, 59, of Woolwich, knew enough to stay in the cab of his vehicle when he got caught on the wires exiting the overflow parking lot beside the former John Martin’s Manor restaurant on College Avenue, police Sgt. Alden Weigelt said.
“If he walked out of the truck, there’s always the risk of electrocution,” Weigelt said, adding that the metal frame of vehicles is what prevents electrocution.
The pull on the wires also had broken two utility poles on either side. A transformer on one of the poles fell to the ground and fractured, spilling its fluid, which is considered a hazardous material, Weigelt said.
While some wires were torn off nearby houses as well, Weigelt said there was no property damage other than that done to the utility poles. At first 280 customers were left without power, according to Gail Rice, spokesperson for Central Maine Power Co. By 12:40 p.m., it was fewer than 20 customers.
Rice said a crew was working on resetting the poles and that “it shouldn’t be too much longer” before all power is restored.
Wasserott told nearby residents walking toward the incident site not to get too close, according to Weigelt. The police shut down part of Ash Street, where Maple Street takes a 90-degree turn, to keep people away from the potential danger.
A CMP crew went to the scene and turned off the power in the area so Wasserott could get out of his vehicle.
The Maine State Police commercial vehicles unit also went there to check the safety of the tractor-trailer, which is owned and operated by Wasserott, and found that it was fine. While there is a height limit on trailers, Weigelt said that Wasserott’s was within the limit.
The crew from CMP is cleaning up the transformer fluid, and Weigelt expected the poles would be replaced by the end of Thursday as well.
The state Department of Environmental Protection went to the scene because of the fluid leak, and the Waterville Fire Department also responded to a report about the incident.
Madeline St. Amour — 861-9239
mstamour@centralmaine.com
Twitter: @madelinestamour
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