One small mistake in a dump truck caused massive power outage

REVERE, Mass. — Almost all of the power has been restored around Squire Road in Revere after a dump truck accident.

“Someone is having a bad night,” said Billy Chebook of New Hampshire who had to check in to a pitch-black hotel because of the dump truck driver.

“He was driving this way with his dump up,” said Four Points by Sheraton general manager Brodie Meche, who witnessed the accident. “It split the wire and split the pole in half as well.”

When the driver took out powerlines behind Northgate Shopping Center around 5:15 p.m. Thursday, it sent the whole neighborhood around Squire Road dark.

“It flickered once and then it shut off the entire plaza,” Meche said. “All of this side and across was out too.”

There were about 100 rooms booked at the hotel, but after the power outage, they lost a little bit of business.

“Mostly staying, we only had a few who chose to leave because it is dark,” Meche said.

Responding crews said, unfortunately, they have had to come to similar accidents there multiple times, but it was the first time Chebook checked into a pitch-black hotel.

“I kind of peeked around to make sure everything was cool because it’s all dark,” Chebook said. “The whole area is dark so it’s kind of hard to figure out where you’re going.”

National Grid had to work quickly when they arrived because the driver was still in the truck. They had to shut off power to make sure he was OK and then restore power, which they say they were able to do within an hour. The driver was just fine.

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