Accident causes power outage
Flathead Electric Cooperative photo<br>The bed of a dump truck is shown snagged Wednesday morning on power lines on Appleway Drive in Kalispell.
The Daily Inter Lake
About 1,200 Flathead Electric Cooperative customers were without power Wednesday, when a dump truck snagged some utility lines.
No one was hurt, and power was restored within three hours.
Stephanie Wallace, public relations director for FEC, said the truck driver had raised the bin of the truck, perhaps to shake out residue, and then drove forward just enough to hook a phone line at the west end of Appleway at about 11 a.m. The line dragged down three utility poles, she said, but no electric wires touched the ground or the dump truck.
The power outage extended from the west edge of town past Kila.
Workers restored power and replaced the damaged utility lines.
The accident is a good reminder for workers to be aware of their surroundings and avoid contact with utility lines, Wallace said.