Semi-Trailer Hauling Logging Equipment Causes Damage in St. Agatha

A tractor-trailer accident in St. Agatha Thursday afternoon pulled down three utility poles, knocked out power to nearby residences and forced the closure of Route 162.

State police said 55-year-old Brad Boutot of Portage was traveling south in a 2002 Western Star Tractor Unit which was towing a low bed trailer and a John Deere tree delimber.  Police said the machine was too tall and caught onto some low-hanging  wires, snapping off three poles and disrupting hundreds of yards of phone and power cables.

Boutot was wearing his seat belt and no one was injured. Utility crews from Emera Maine worked into the evening to restore service to area residents.

The incident remains under investigation by the Maine State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit. The truck is owned by Mark Rafford Logging of Ashland.