A monster truck took down a power line during a jump at a show in Maine last Saturday. The lobster-themed truck called Crushstation pulled down multiple utility poles and sent a transformer crashing to the ground near a grandstand, the AP reports. Two people were sent to the hospital, but the incident could have been far worse with live electrical wires on the ground, even covering occupied porta potties.
The show took place at the Topsham Fairgrounds on a temporarily converted horse racing track. In footage of the incident, Crushstation went over a dirt jump and flew into a power line overhanging the track. Gregory Winchenbach, the monster truck’s driver, was trapped inside with a live wire draped over the vehicle. A 73-year-old man was found lying on the ground, hurt with a wire over him. It was discovered at Maine Medical Center that he had fractured his vertebra, WMTW reports.
After an investigation, the Topsham Police Department won’t be filing any criminal charges related to the incident. Winchenbach told police that he had gone over the jump several times before without hitting the power line. He added that he couldn’t see the line from the cockpit. A safety officer had hit the remote engine shut off by the time Crushstation landed. Renegade Monster Truck had permits and insurance coverage to operate in Topsham.
