State Fair electricity down after truck hits powerline

Photo courtesy Minnesota State Fair.

Not a great Minnesota get-together for everyone.

Just after 10:30 a.m., a semi-truck rammed a telephone pole near the State Fairgrounds in St. Paul. Details of the accident are few, but police don't believe the driver had been drinking, says St. Paul Police spokesman Andy Skoogman.

"This appears to be an accident," says Skoogman.

It was an incredibly unfortunate accident for a man flagging State Fair-goers into a parking lot from a lawn chair in the wrong place at the wrong time. The collision caused the power line to droop down and electrocute the man, says Skoogman. The victim was working at a nearby lot, and not actually for the State Fair.

An officer standing nearby witnessed the chain of events and quickly jumped into action. The officer kicked the metal chair out from under the victim and dragged him away from the loose power line and into safety.

Meanwhile, a 28-year-old man standing against a fence was also injured by the power line. Police are unsure if the second victim was also electrocuted, says Skoogman, but he was brought to Regents Hospital for evaluation.

"From what I understand, both victims will be OK," says Skoogman.

The accident also caused a partial power outage at and around the Fair. KARE 11 reports that 373 Xcel Energy customers also lost power, though the State Fair is counted only as a single customer.