When the lights flickered and the electricity went out for some residents and businesses in West Acton at about 8:30 a.m. on Thursday morning April 9, it was common for people to assume that the outage was confined to their own house and that they were responsible. One person the Acton Exchange spoke to worried that he had caused the outage because just at that moment he had plugged in his Peloton exercise machine. Someone else suspected her cats were at fault. Yet another resident said, “The plasterer at our house admitted sheepishly to me that he caused the outage by turning on his power stirring drill on the same outlet as his radio.”
However, one neighbor was certain that he knew the cause. This was Frederick Martin (Frederick). He and his son Fritz were driving to school on the west side of Central St., at the bottom edge of Wright Hill Conservation Land, when a large tree on their right fell on their car and pulled down wires and poles as well.
Fritz had missed the bus because at the last minute he had remembered that it was library day and he really wanted to find his library book so he could return it and check out another one. Luckily, Fritz did find the library book. But that was not the end of his good luck that day.
After Fritz found the book, his father checked the school bus app and saw that the bus had already passed. They climbed into their Chevrolet Bolt to drive to Merriam School. It was a beautiful day, only slightly breezy, very sunny. Nothing was out of the ordinary. But as soon as they turned right onto Central St. from Half Moon Hill, there was an explosive noise with an extended rattle (presumably branches from the crown of the tree on the car roof) and something had shattered the passenger side of the windshield and damaged the driver’s side mirror.
Frederick said later that he immediately started exclaiming, in shock, but still trying to be reassuring to his son, “Well, something just fell on the car, I think I’ll pull in here!” and he turned left into the parking lot of Import Domestic Auto Center, a convenient place to park your car when it’s just been totaled by a falling tree. Frederick made two calls, first to 911, then to his wife who was home with the younger child.
Frederick reflected, “It was unlucky that the tree fell at just that moment, but we were so very lucky to emerge safely. We’re grateful to all the helpers who responded, and who have been working around the clock to restore power to all the nearby neighborhoods.”
The earliest responding official from the Fire Department advised Frederick and Fritz to climb into the ambulance to get checked out. All was well. The two found the ambulance to be a very quiet and comfortable place to rest and recover from the shock. The EMTs apologized because this wasn’t the ambulance with toys.
Queried the following day about the experience, Fritz said, “I was scared.” He also suggested that the reporter describe the next steps he and his father took. They emerged from the ambulance to survey the scene. Because the tree and downed wires were blocking their way back to Half Moon Hill along Central St., they walked the long way around the block, taking Central St. and Mass. Ave. to Mead Terrace, and hiked through the Wright Hill Conservation Land to get home. From there, they were able to borrow an old booster seat and get a ride from a neighbor to Merriam School.
By mid-day Thursday, the road was still closed and 15 construction and utility vehicles lined Central St. and Half Moon Hill. Electricity to some West Acton locations such as West Acton Baptist Church and Merriam School came back on within a few hours; for others, it was out for most of the day, and for a while on Friday. Crews worked throughout the night. On Friday afternoon, the road remained closed and the cleanup work continued. Eversource arranged for diesel-powered generators in some locations.
Interim Police Chief Douglas Sturniolo said Friday, “The tree fell from Wright Hill Conservation, taking out the power lines, which also resulted in five utility poles coming down as well. Due to the extensive damage, Central Street remains closed between Arlington Street and Elm Street. The repair work involves Eversource, Verizon, Comcast, fire alarm wiring, and clean up from the transformer fluid. The repair work is expected to continue throughout the day.” Acton’s Highway Department provided a generator to power the traffic lights in West Acton as they were not functioning after the incident.
Fortunately for Frederick and Fritz, they were not trapped in the car by tree or electric wires. Eversource has advice for drivers in case they ever find themselves in that situation.
By coincidence, a second crash occurred half a mile away in the same hour on Thursday, when a vehicle exiting Elm St. collided with a vehicle traveling on Arlington St. No injuries were reported.
Franny Osman is the editor-in-chief of the Acton Exchange, and lives in the Half Moon Hill neighborhood. She was able to report on this incident easily because it was in her own neck of the woods. She encourages you to report on whatever is happening near you in Acton. Just write to info@actonexchange.org.
