Low Wires Cause Accident, Close E. Main Street

A truck took down electrical wires Thursday morning, causing E. Main Street at the Norton and Easton town line to be closed off.

The truck, a cement mixer owned by Boro Sand and Stone Corp., was traveling west on East Main Street and attempted to turn left onto Holmes Street. The truck struck low hanging telephone and cable wires, which damaged three utility poles, causing lines to come down across E. Main Street.

“One of the poles went through the windshield of a car,” said Norton Town Manager Michael Yunits.

Norton Police and Fire Departments responded to the call at 8:30 a.m.  

Crews were working all day to repair the damage. One lane of E. Main Street was opened later after National Grid arrived on scene. East Main Street in that area is still only open with one lane at this time.  Eastbound traffic is being detoured down Burt Street to Holmes Street.

The operator of the truck was not cited in the incident. No one was injured.

While officers were investigating at the scene, a vehicle traveling east on E. Main Street appeared to be being operated in a reckless manner. Bystanders were yelling for the vehicle to slow down as it approached the accident scene. The vehicle swerved across both lanes of E. Main Street and struck a fence off the right shoulder of the roadway. The operator of the vehicle, Armand Dumont, 83, of Barrows Street, Norton, was not injured. Dumont was cited for reckless operation of a motor vehicle and marked lanes violation.

Hurricane Sandy caused a pole to snap, causing the wires to hang low over Holmes Street. National Grid was called to the scene, but determined they were Verizon’s wires.

“Complaints were sent to National Grid, and to their credit they went out. They at least responded. It wasn’t their wires, it was phone and cable, who never went out,” Yunits said. “It’s just so frustrating that simple things like that go unanswered. It’s going to cost them a lot more money now than if they had just moved those wires after the storm.”