A Tree Falls the Wrong Way: Power Outage in Stepney

A cable attached to his pick up truck and the other end to a tree, a 49-year-old contractor from Oxford cut down a tree in the 100-block of Bart Road at around 11:45 Tuesday morning. But everything didn't go according to plan. Police said the tree started falling in the opposite direction, pulling the truck along with it as it crashed onto power lines.

"It pulled the primary power line down and ripped the electrical service off the house across the street," said Lt. Brian McCauley.

Homeowners living on Bart and Verna roads lost power for approximately two hours.

Police said the Oxford man told officers he is a licensed electrical contractor and offered to fix service to the house across the street from his work site.

In cases when an accident leads to a loss of power, Connecticut Light & Power charges the guilty party for repairs, said Katie Blint, a company spokesperson, adding charges vary on a case-by-case basis. But she said a licensed contractor is usually insured.

When customers inquire about doing tree work on their property, Blint said CL&P refers them to the Connecticut Tree Protective Association website: ctpa.org to find a licensed and insured contractor.

"We usually recommend getting more than one quote," she said.