Milford crash sparks fire, traps victims between live wires

MILFORD, Mass. — A truck crashed into a utility pole in Milford Tuesday afternoon, sparking a fire and trapping victims in their vehicles between live power lines.

The truck snapped the Purchase Street pole in two, ripping the electrical wires down and setting fire to trees and even the street on the Milford-Hopkinton town line. The driver suffered a head injury and was unconscious. His passenger had less severe facial injuries when police and firefighters arrived.

But arriving crews were not able to rescue the victims until utility crews had cut the power to the area. Another driver traveling in the opposite direction was also trapped by the wires. He was not hurt.

“You’re trained to help and go in and save people. And you’re stuck because, if you go in there, you’re going to be a casualty yourself,” Milford Police Sgt. Robert Tusino said. “There was about 20 minutes where no first responder could really do much. You had active, high-power lines across the street and across both vehicles. So, it was kind of a shelter-in-place, keep everybody where they were.”

The driver of the truck was taken by ambulance to UMass Memorial Medical Center, and the passenger was treated at Milford Hospital. Police said a witness who was behind the truck prior to the crash reported the driver never attempted to navigate a slight turn in the road, but rather crashed straight into the pole.

“They saw no brake lights, they saw no attempt to slow down,” Tusino said of the witness’s statement. “And the vehicle just continued going straight at that time and collided with that pole.”

Purchase Street remained closed as utility crews worked to repair the electrical lines and restore power to the area late Tuesday night.

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