Watertown Public Works Driver Escapes Truck After Being Trapped by Live Wire

A Watertown Public Works plow driver got trapped in his truck Friday night when a live wire fell across the truck as he drove down Orchard Street near the playground at Victory Field.

The Watertown Fire Department responded to the call at about 9:30 p.m. Friday, said Deputy Fire Chief Daniel Tardiff.

"When we arrived we found a DPW truck with a live power line across the truck," Tardiff said. "The driver was still in the truck."

Firefighters could not immediately get the driver out, Tardiff said. 

"He had to stay in the truck until NStar came and disconnected power," Tardiff said.

The driver had to wait about half an hour, Tardiff said.

"He was fine," Tardiff said. "He stayed in the truck, which was the right thing to do."

The call came in at the same time that the Fire Department had to respond to other wire down incidents and medical calls, Tardiff said. The Fire Department brought in extra firefighters for the storm, Tardiff said, so they were able to handle all the calls during the Blizzard of 2013.