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Report: Driver of pickup was “trying to show off” |
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Friday, May 23 2008 |
By CHRIS MEYERS
Staff writer
Northern Indiana Public Service Company employees continue to labor on today to try to get Tri-Lakes residents their utility service, with some customers having seen service restored Thursday night.
NIPSCO officials said today they hope to have all customers back online by the end of tonight, barring any unforeseen problems.
“We have every serviceman we can spare in the area,” Larry Graham of NIPSCO said today.
NIPSCO crews have finished repairs at the site of the wreck and installed a temporary station until the damaged one can be rebuilt, according to Graham.
He said each regulator station is built site-specific so the damaged unit will have to be repaired and rebuilt rather than replaced with a new one.
Workers are now going door-to-door to reactivate service at customer’s homes after shutting off all meters Wednesday for repairs.
Once turned back on at the meters, crews will have to go inside homes to re-light any appliances with pilot lights.
If customers are not home at the time of the reconnect, NIPSCO employees will leave a note on the home’s door with a contact number to set up an appointment for a re-light.
Graham estimated that about 500 customers were without service following a wreck Wednesday night when a Dodge pickup truck driven by 22-year-old Austin L. Salesman of Columbia City wrecked into the regulator station.
According to the recently completed crash report, Salesman told police he had just had a modification done to the truck’s engine and he was “trying to show off for his passengers as he rounded the turn.”
Salesman registered a blood alcohol content of .088 on a certified test, according to the report.
He was charged that same night with operating while intoxicated and operating while intoxicated per se.
Salesman apparently tried to restart the truck after impact but it wouldn’t turn over.
According to the report, damage from the wreck is estimated between $25,000 and $50,000. |
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, May 27 2008 )
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