Dump Truck Knocks Out Power In Downtown Tulsa

Power is back on downtown after a dump truck hit a power line near 7th and Houston around 10:30 Monday morning.

Power was knocked out to nearly a dozen businesses and even more street lights; but things are back to normal, now, and the traffic on Houston Street is flowing again.

A dump truck and emergency vehicles blocked the street from 7th to 11th and many businesses were in the dark while a utility pole hung high up in the air.

"It is pretty impressive. I'm surprised there is traffic able to get up and down the street easily," said Tulsa visitor, Krystal Riddle.

"I've driven a dump truck. I've almost done it a time or two, myself,” said Tulsa driver, Larry Melton. “Oh this poor guy, I'll tell you what, I wouldn't want to be standing in his shoes talking to his boss."

The driver told police he dumped the load of his truck but forgot to bring the bed down. As he was pulling out of the construction area across from OSU medical center, he took the power line with him.

Street lights and businesses in the southwest corner of downtown lost power.

"This is the first time ever, in probably 60 years, that anyone could drive from Houston to Detroit without a stop sign or stop light," Melton said.

Best Western Plus near 7th and Houston went dark while Riddle and her family were getting ready.

"All of a sudden the power went out and started getting cold pretty quickly, and that was it. We tried to hurry up and get around and check out," she said.

Baxter's restaurant is right next door, and on a different power grid, so owner Craig Baxter said the lights there stayed on.

"Even in the ‘07 ice storm we were fortunate to have power and we were very, very, busy," he said.

It took PSO about three hours to get power back. They said 1,636 customers lost power.

The hospital has backup generators, so patients and staff had nothing to worry about; and since it's a holiday, many of the businesses were already closed.