Bucket truck causes large power outage

MADISON — The entrance to Trace Vineyard was blocked Wednesday as Entergy crews worked to restore downed power poles following an accident involving a bucket truck that led to localized outages.

At about 9:20 a.m., a bucket truck that was being operated by a tree trimming and cutting company was entering the Trace Vineyard subdivision from Rice Road when the bucket on the back of the truck caught a low-hanging power line, Madison Police Capt. Kevin Newman said.  

“This caused three power poles at or near that intersection to break which created a subsequent power outage in the area,” Newman said.

According to the Entergy outage map, at the time there were approximately 1,074 affected customers.

According to Newman, the truck’s bucket was properly stowed when it was entering the subdivision, so the driver was not cited for any violations related to the damage. There were no injuries reported.  

“Entergy is on scene and making repairs to restore power to all areas as soon as possible,” Newman said.

As of noon, 174 customers remained without power according to Entergy outage reports. It is not known what peak outages were but some customers reported having power restored within an hour of losing it.

The entrance to the Trace Vineyard subdivision remained closed to traffic Wednesday. Residents of Trace Vineyard may use Oak Hollow Drive (which connects with their subdivision) utilizing the Rice Road entrance to Oak Hollow to enter and exit their neighborhood until the roadway has reopened.