Truck boom fells Onekawa powerlines

Two men escaped unharmed from a truck which appeared to have become "live" after an extended hydraulic boom on its tray brought down low-voltage lines and a pole in Napier's Onekawa Industrial District yesterday.

The truck had just turned out of Angus Place heading east on Austin St when the incident happened outside Transpacific Recycling (formerly All Brite) about 2.15pm.

Hitting lines which had been suspended across the road, the boom brought down a wooden power pole on the opposite (southern) side of the street, snapping it off at the base and swinging it across the road.

The pole missed a parked car on the southern side and came to rest still held up by the wires, just a metre away from a parked utility belonging to a Transpacific employee.

The men in the truck escaped stealthily as wires draped over the vehicle, one saying he felt "a brush" of electrical force as he stepped on to the road.

Police officer Senior Constable Ian Cheyne said it appeared the boom had not been lowered before the truck exited Angus Place.

A section of Austin St was closed for about 30 minutes before the pole and wires were removed, and a crew from Unison, the powerlines people, set about repairs, including replacing the pole.

Some businesses on the southern side of the road lost power momentarily - "a short surge," one businessman said.

Unison customer relations manager Danny Gough said eight customers were having supply disrupted during the repairs, which were not expected to be completed until today.

A generator was being used to maintain supply where necessary.