Another day, another dump truck crashes into power lines

David Andreatta | Democrat and Chronicle

Another day, another dump truck crashes into power lines.

A day after the driver of a dump truck toppled 15 utility poles in Henrietta with a raised truck bed and caused widespread power outages, the upright bed of a different dump truck became ensnared in power lines in Greece on Tuesday.

The damage in Greece was far less extensive than in Henrietta, where more than 1,200 residences were left without power. In Greece, the outage was limited to a single pole that supplied power to a block of Duxbury Road off West Ridge Road.

A Rochester Gas and Electric spokeswoman said the outages affected five homes on the street and that one pole was downed and replaced.

But the incident was fodder for neighborhood residents who knew of the accident in Henrietta a day earlier and, like many who have never driven a dump truck, marveled at the gaffe.

“I heard the neighbor lady scream and then I see this dump truck,” said Pam Williams, who lives on Duxbury. “I think everybody’s been taking the stupid pill lately.”

More: Dump truck driver identified, cited after crash knocks down power poles

The accident occurred around 1 p.m. It was not immediately clear why the dump truck was in the area or why its bed was tilted upright while it was in motion, but the truck appeared to be related to construction in the parking lot of St. John the Evangelist Church nearby.

“It appears a construction vehicle was coming through the area and crashed into a utility pole,” RGE spokeswoman Juanita Washington said.

Power was restored to four of the customers within the hour, and was expected to be restored to the final house in short order.

“Everything was resolved very nicely,” Williams said. “It was nothing compared to yesterday (in Henrietta), but it was just kind of bizarre having it happen two days in a row. Wouldn’t you be more careful?”

The Monroe County Sheriff's Office was on the scene in Greece investigating.

The driver of the truck in Henrietta, Mark Inguaggito, a Florida resident, was cited for operating an over-height vehicle and having an inoperable warning light, which is designed to warn drivers that the truck bed is in an upright position.

DANDREATTA@Gannett.com