MANSFIELD — The brown truck was moving at the speed of business late Monday night until Mother Nature intervened.
A UPS delivery vehicle became completely ensnarled in downed power lines at 11:30 p.m., according to Mansfield police records, just as the first of two major thunderstorms rolled through the city.
It’s been there ever since, resulting in the closure of Trimble Road at the intersection with Marion Avenue Road, perhaps the oddest scene from a region covered in downed power lines, shattered power poles and trees ripped from the earth.
The driver was not injured in the accident, according to a company official.
An estimated 60,000 customers in Richland, Ashland, Knox and Crawford counties were without power Tuesday morning.
Crews for FirstEnergy and AEP, who supply most of the power in north central Ohio, have been working to restore the juice since the storms rolled through with winds of up to 65-70 miles per hour.
FirstEnergy spokeswoman Lauren Siburkis said Wednesday the truck should finally be cleared by the end of the day. She said power would be restored to that area by around 6 p.m.
“We currently have crews on site,” she said around noon, “and the road should be open in four or five hours.”
The mystery of how the truck became entangled, and the status of the driver, remains unknown. MPD records don’t have an accident report from the incident, just a report of “downed wires.”
“Nobody has provided those details,” Siburkis said, adding it’s a good reminder to never drive over or around downed power lines.
The Mansfield Fire Department has no records from the scene.
A UPS spokesman responded to a Richland Source request for comment just before 3 p.m.
“UPS is aware of an incident involving one of our vehicles. We’re thankful that our driver is safe. We are working with local authorities on the situation,” said Tom Farrell, UPS network communications manager.
