News - Off Beat Stories
Officer trapped for hours by live power lines
Posted: Dec 10, 2009 8:53 AM by NBC
A Coventry, Rhode Island police officer was trapped in his cruiser for two hours Wednesday when live power lines fell on his car.
The officer was responding to a report of a tree down when he found himself in a potentially life-threatening situation.
Central Coventry Fire Department Battalion Chief James Cady said the officer did the right thing by staying put.
"Apparently the tree limb broke loose from the tree and pulled the wires and pole down. The wires draped across his cruiser. The officer was smart enough to stay in his car," Cady said.
National Grid workers responded quickly to clear the danger.
The Rhode Island Department of Transportation said there were plenty of reports of spin-outs and minor accidents on area roadways, but there were no fatalities.
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