NE Redmond intersection reopens after downed lines

A truck’s boom snagged and brought down power lines at a northeast Redmond intersection Wednesday afternoon, briefly trapping the driver amid live wires outside and prompting a lengthy street closure and detours, police said.

The incident happened shortly after 2 p.m., when the boom on a truck caught the wires on a pole at the northwest corner of the intersection at Northeast Ninth Street and Hemlock Avenue, said Lt. Keith Knight.

While that pole broke off, with live wires down on the road, three or four poles down the street also were damaged as a result, Knight said. The driver reportedly stayed inside briefly, at the direction of police dispatchers, but was able to get out without injury.

The accident knocked out power to 44 Pacific Power customers, said utility spokesman Tom Gauntt.

Repairs were completed and the road reopened around 8:30 p.m., according to police.

It was Central Oregon’s second accident involving downed power lines in two days. A two-vehicle crash west of Powell Butte shut down Highway 126 Tuesday afternoon, prompting repairs that took until about midnight to complete.