Buckley dark after rig takes out lines

Published 1:03 pm Thursday, December 11, 2008

By Jessica Keller

The Courier-Herald

A minor accident caused power to go out in Buckley the evening of Aug. 10 and some residents went without electricity until the following day.

The accident occurred at about 6:40 p.m. when a semi-truck pulling a refrigeration trailer turned around on River Avenue between the Buckley Log Show grounds and the National Guard Armory, Buckley Fire Chief Alan Predmore said.

According to Predmore, the trailer caught some utility lines while the truck was turning around, and the driver, unaware of the fact, continued to drive away, pulling down the lines and one of the power poles. The driver was not injured in the accident.

The accident knocked out power to most of the city and disrupted activities that evening. Buckley city officials canceled the scheduled City Council meeting because no electronic record could be kept. It was also reported people in the Copperwynd housing development were trapped in their neighborhood, unless they left by foot, because the truck was blocking the only entrance.

Puget Sound Energy repaired the downed lines and the power pole.

Jessica Keller can be reached at jkeller@cmg-northwest2.go-vip.net/courierherald