The Herald, Sharon, Pa.

Local News

September 3, 2009

UPDATE: Mercer lights taken down by truck that was too tall

MERCER — A tractor trailer rig that tore down all six of the traffic lights Tuesday over the intersection of U.S. routes 19 and 62 in Mercer was just too tall, Mercer's police said.

The rig was supposed to be 15 feet high, and its driver was told by PennDOT to travel through that section of town on the way to New York, said Chief Dave Fockler.

The truck was preceded by a lead vehicle, complete with a 15-foot measure, Fockler said. In that respect, they did everything right. That lead vehicle cleared the intersection.

But the truck apparently wasn’t under 15 feet. Fockler said Mercer’s intersection can’t support anything taller, and part of the transformer being hauled hitched the overhead wires, pulling the light poles. “Once those poles snapped, it all came down,” Fockler said.

The trucking company — based in Becker, Minn. — has insurance, which may be what pays for the mess, Fockler said, but Mercer officials are still tracking down the details.

No one was injured in the wreck, he said. They have not yet cited anyone.

Stop signs have been posted at the intersection.

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