An Ohio driver has shared a shocking video of a firetruck driving straight through live utility pole wires, fortunately unscathed. However, he calls out the firefighters as having “zero awareness,” along with the rest of the drivers who drove straight under the communication wires. Many online users felt that things could have turned out much worse for the lucky responders and passersby.
Reddit user seattle_view206 shared a video of the fallen utility lines on r/Roadcam, which they tagged NSFW for swearing; no one was hurt in the clip. This pole could have fallen from the severe winds that much of Ohio is experiencing at the moment, with threats of possible tornadoes, according to Cleveland. Some Redditors shared their thoughts on how seattle_view206 could have done better to direct traffic away, while others criticized the firefighters for not watching out for the wires.
“Bunch of NPCs,” remarked one commenter. “Firetruck was lucky they weren’t just a little taller,” added another. A third suggested that OP should have had flares or something on hand to steer drivers away from the fallen poles, since simple parking on the side didn’t have any effect.
The Ohio Driver Claims Pulling Down the Lower Lines Could Also Pull Down the Upper Electrical Wires
The man filming with his dashcam claimed that he was a “cable guy for 6 years” and said that anyone driving down his lane towards the wires would have definitely gotten caught. The set of wires above the ones hanging is electrical, meaning that if the firetruck or anyone else pulled down the communication lines too far, the poles and electrical lines would have gone down with them.
Any live utility pole lines falling on a vehicle still pose a huge risk, with power or electrical wires being the most dangerous due to their high voltage. One commenter shared a YouTube link posted by FOX 5 Washington DC showing a pickup truck catching on fire from exposure to live wires.
As to why seattle_view206 didn’t block the whole road or get out of his car to warn people, the road has a 45 MPH speed limit with poor visibility. “There weren’t a lot of good options,” he sighed.
