WHITE CO., Ill. - The company that supplies power to a big section of southeastern Illinois had a big ouch this past Thursday after a power pole was broken in an accident with a tractor.
A White County deputy was dispatched to the scene this past Thursday, April 11, at 9:41 after the incident, which occurred on Epworth Road outside of Carmi between County Roads 800N and 700N.
When he arrived he found that a tractor, being driven by Justin Talley, 43 of Norris City, had gotten too close to a guide line attached to a utility pole on the property he was farming, which broke the pole. When the pole fell, it pulled the electric lines that were attached to another pole across Epworth Road. A second utility pole broke, causing the power lines to lower across Epworth Road.
The deputy blocked traffic on Epworth to keep vehicles from hitting power lines and noted that Talley had already contacted Wayne-White Counties Electric Cooperative, which owns the poles and lines; they advised that they were on their way from Fairfield.
When they arrived, they cut the lines across the road from the poles, and the road was then opened up for traffic. Apparently, no citations were issued.