Power restored after dump truck crashes into power poles in Draper

DRAPER, Utah (ABC4) — On Wednesday afternoon, a dump truck hit a traffic signal, knocking down power poles and creating a lot of commotion in the Draper community.

The dump truck driver was later located, and power was restored late Wednesday night. The suspect was taken into custody, but their identity was not yet released.

The Draper City Police Department said a hit-and-run occurred around 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, involving a dump truck that was reportedly driving with its lift raised. Police said three power poles were knocked down.

“We heard a really loud pop, like a spring back sound, and all the power went out and we were like, ‘Oh what just happened?’ and we looked out and saw the first powerline by the hanger bike shop halfway hanging and there were plumes of smoke rising and sparking,” Lydia Stuever, a worker at Draper Flower Pros said.

Stuever continued: “We were mostly worried about the flowers because they need the cooler and power for that and we have a bunch of weddings coming up.”

Rocky Mountain Power’s outage map reported more than 200 outages in Draper on Wednesday afternoon. Draper Flower Pros was able to get its power back about an hour after the outage.

According to social media posts from Draper City, traffic lights on 12300 South are down from 900 East to 265 West. Because of the outages, 12300 South is closed between 700 East and 900 East. Officials said the road is expected to remain closed, and power is expected to be restored at around midnight.

“We got our cooler shut and did our best with transitions with cash and running it back through the system,” Stuever said.

Also nearby, Muffler and Brake Shop in Draper struggled with the outage.

“It’s hard to do online stuff here and run data and get in touch with other businesses because you depend on the internet so much,” Tom Rivetti, owner of Quality Muffler and Brake Shop, said.

With machines down, the automotive repair and U-Haul shop treated their customers the old-fashioned way on Wednesday.

“We have to write down their credit card numbers and out of good trust we’ll just run the cards tomorrow,” Rivetti said.

How to prepare for a power outage

Whether a power outage is planned or not, Rocky Mountain Power offers some guidelines and tips to prepare for a power outage. Safety and preparedness resources have been compiled by Rocky Mountain Power and can be found online.

Some items that Rocky Mountain Power suggests to keep in an emergency kit are listed below:

• Water
  • Have one gallon per person, per day
• Non-perishable food
  • For both people and pets
• First aid kit and essential medications
• Copies of important family documents
• Cash
• Blankets

Rocky Mountain Power’s comprehensive emergency preparedness list is available online.