With the spring season here, the potential risk of severe storms greatly increases, especially in the Midwest. Warren County Sheriff Martin Edwards reminds of the dangers of downed power lines:
“When we have a big storm and poles get broke and power lines get down on the ground, and the inherent dangers that come along with that, those power lines when they are down, they are almost invisible on a blacktop. If we are out there stopping traffic, there is a good reason for it. I don’t know if that line is live and I certainly don’t have the equipment to get involved with it. Do not disobey a traffic control device. You are placing yourself and your passengers in danger by avoiding that. Again, I just want to stress the importance of staying away from those lines, reporting them, and letting the professionals get in there to take care of it themselves. If you run into a situation where a line is down on a car accident and the line is across the car, do not intervene until somebody gets there.”
Ameren Illinois also offers these tips to keep in mind when it comes to downed power lines: treat any line as if it were live, never touch an electrical power lines, keep family and pets as far away from the lines as possible, stay away from anything that may also be in contact with the power line, and be sure to report any downed lines.
