National Grid reports some 300 customers from Clinton Street Road on the west to Bater road on the East are without power and there is not yet an estimate of when power will be restored.
A small pickup hit a utility pole just before 6 p.m. at Route 5 and Clipnock Road, shearing it off at its base.
One of the main transmission lines for the area was strung to the top of the pole, a National Grid employee on scene explained later. He said when the truck struck the pole, it probably moved 10 feet, causing the line to snap out of insulators on poles up and down the line.
The plan, he said, was for crews to respond to multiple locations and isolate specific outage areas and restore power incrementally to the affected customers.
While the initial estimate for power restoration was eight to 10 hours, the worker said he'd like to keep it to under four hours.
The driver and the passenger of the truck were transported to UMMC with minor injuries. A deputy said the truck was eastbound when it crossed the center line and struck the pole on the north shoulder. He said the cause of the accident remains under investigation.
Route 5 remains close to through traffic at this hour.
UPDATE 11 a.m.: The driver is identified in a Sheriff's Office accident report as Jason C. Penn, 35, of Mix Place, Batavia. His passenger was Blake C. Lind, age 7. The truck struck a fire hydrant and two utility poles. Debris from the accident struck another vehicle, causing the windshield to shatter. The cause of the accident remains under investigation, which is being conducted by Deputy Joseph Graff. No citations have been issued. A reader reports power restored at her Stafford residence at 5 a.m.
