Packer truck pulls down two poles on Beach Road

Posted April 6, 2006

Electrical wires sparked, and one building occupant said it sounded like the roof was coming down, when a truck owned by the R.M. Packer Company of Tisbury snagged a set of wires and sent two telephone poles crashing onto Beach Road about noon Wednesday, pulling wires and connections from the sides of two buildings.

Tisbury and state police, the Tisbury Fire department, state highways personnel and NStar Electric work crews responded immediately. The road was closed to traffic so that crews could clear the debris.

There were no injuries, and aside from the poles and assorted wires, most of the damage was limited to an office building at 107 Beach Road, the All Island Fence Company building, a dented Honda SUV, and a Jaguar automobile whose back window was smashed.

"It was one of those days," said Ralph M. Packer, owner of the R.M. Packer Company. "We don't do things small, we do things big."

According to Mr. Packer and those present at the scene, Packer employee T.M. Araujo of Edgartown delivered a roll-off container to the rear of the Tisbury Shell gas station using a truck with a flatbed that elevates to allow the container to slide off.

Mr. Araujo drove out of the gas station with the flatbed still in the elevated position and snagged a telephone line that ran from a pole on the harbor side of the road to a pole on the opposite side.

When Mr. Araujo looked in his rear view mirror, he was dragging two sections of telephone poles and a collection of wires.

"Luckily, the electrical wire landed on the road and not on the truck," said Mr. Packer. "And no one was hurt."

Carol Borselle, co-owner of Martha's Vineyard Mortgage Company, one of several businesses located at 107 Beach Road, said it sounded like a bomb went off.

"I was stunned," said Ms. Borselle. "I thought the roof was coming in." Ms. Borselle, owner of the Jaguar, was off to rent a car.

Tisbury police said the accident is under investigation.

Power and telephone service was interrupted momentarily to some businesses along Beach Road. By late Wednesday, crews were busy restoring connections and erecting new poles.