A semi-truck hit low-hanging wires from a leaning utility pole on Route 12 in Fox Lake Tuesday afternoon, causing the road to be shut down and power to go out in the area while crews made repairs.
The Fox Lake Police Department and Fox Lake Fire Protection District responded around 1:10 p.m. Tuesday to Route 12 south of Sayton Road in Fox Lake for a report of downed wires.
Police officers and firefighters arrived to find a leaning utility pole with live wires down across all lanes of Route 12 near the Toyota of Fox Lake dealership.
Fox Lake Police Chief Dawn DeServi said that ongoing construction at 91 Route 12, a property adjacent to the Toyota dealership, reportedly caused the pole to lean towards the roadway and lower the wires over Route 12.
Witnesses reported that a semi-truck traveling northbound on Route 12 struck the wires, causing the pole to lean further and the wires to fall onto the road.
The semi-truck did not stop and continued traveling northbound on Route 12, DeServi said.
The driver was likely unaware that their truck hit the wires, according to the witnesses. The semi-truck has not been identified.
The police shut down all lanes of Route 12 between Sayton Road and Frontage Road while field employees with ComEd responded to the scene.
Firefighters remained on scene until ComEd arrived.
Power was temporarily shut off in the area while multiple ComEd field employees conducted repair operations.
At around 2:15 p.m., a man in a sedan pulled out of one of the nearby shopping centers and traveled southbound on Route 12, appearing to either be unaware or not caring about the downed wires and ongoing repairs.
The man then slowly drove under the wires, despite ComEd employees and a police officer yelling at him, a Lake & McHenry County Scanner reporter at the scene witnessed.
The man continued traveling southbound on Route 12.
Crews were seen using boom lifts and a specialized claw to straighten the pole and clear the wires from the road.
Repairs were completed, power was restored and all lanes of Route 12 were reopened at around 3 p.m.
Traffic was heavily congested on Frontage Road and Sayton Road while road closures were in effect.
No injuries were reported, DeServi said.