STONEHAM, MASS. (WHDH) - A portion of Montvale Avenue in Stoneham may not reopen until Thursday morning, according to local officials, after a crash brought down multiple utility poles on Wednesday.
Officials said it was around 9:30 a.m. when police and fire crews were called to the area between Lindenwood Road and Maple Street.
First responders arriving to the scene found damaged utility poles as well as downed wires on the street. At least one occupant of a car in the area was left trapped as a result of the wires – unable to be freed until power was cut.
“I’m thinking ‘I’m going to die,'” Elizabeth Garcia said when asked what went through her mind as the crash happened. “I don’t want to die in my car, so, I just jumped out of my car and this guy over here, he told me ‘Stay in the car, you can’t touch the wires.'”
Despite the damage, there were no reported injuries.
According to fire department officials on the scene, a tractor-trailer truck snagged an overhead line and, like dominoes, brought several utility poles down in the process.
UPS driver Jack Finely told 7NEWS he was thankful no one was hurt after he saw the crash unfold, with a pole coming down directly in front of his truck.
A hazmat team was called to the accident Wednesday morning due to a pair of transformers that were leaking after the poles they were on toppled. Officials said the state Department of Environmental Protection had been notified.
At least 435 Eversource customers lost power due to the incident, forcing some nearby condo complexes and business to run off generators.
Without heat, some residents decided to pack their bags instead of waiting for backup power to kick in.
Elsewhere, traffic lights at Montvale Avenue and its intersection with I-93 were not working after this crash, creating what officials described in a statement as “significant traffic issues” in the area.
An investigation into this incident was ongoing Wednesday as officials asked motorists to stay away from the area.
In one statement Wednesday, officials said that Montvale Avenue is expected to remain closed for “an extended period of time.”
Police separately said they’re hoping to get at least one lane open by Thursday, though they noted that they’re unsure when the entire road will reopen.
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