By Mindy Ragan Wood
Staff Writer
Electrical lines that hold up the power to a city can withstand strong winds and a couple layers of ice, but it’s no match for a farmer’s combine.
The light signal at Piedmont Road and Edmond Road North came down and brought the electrical pole with it after a portion of the combine snagged the electrical line.
“You’ll see frequently around harvest time out in the Piedmont area, because many of the fields are really close to each other it conserves times and effort to prevent from having to load them up and onto a trailer and back off,” Piedmont Police Chief Scott Singer said Tuesday. “They normally try and compact them as much as possible and then drive them from field to field. It caught the light overhead and broke the pole.”
Detective Travis Salkil responded to the scene.
“He drove through the intersection, with two combines behind him and traffic he had to find a place to park it,” Salkil said. “He was cooperative. He was not given a citation.”
Singer said most people know the intersection is a four way stop, so he does not expect any accidents as repairs are made to the traffic signal.
“We have stop signs, but it certainly is a temporary fix. I think most people will use that intersection are familiar with that it’s a four way stop. We are working with the combine operator and they will be working with the city and their insurance company to cover the cost of repairs,” Singer said.
