Accident knocks out power at fairgrounds for hours

Most of the Minnesota State Fairgrounds lost power for nearly two hours Tuesday after a semitrailer knocked over a utility pole.

At least two men were injured by falling power lines, but apparently weren't seriously hurt.

Xcel Energy got a report of a widespread outage at 10:49 a.m., affecting the fairgrounds and 372 other customers, said spokesman Tom Hoen. The other customers are nearby homes and businesses, he said.

Shortly before 12:30 p.m., electricity began being restored.

St. Paul police spokesman Andy Skoogman said a semitrailer driver was turning right from Winston Avenue to head east on Como Avenue when "he clipped a power pole and that brought the lines down."

One power line fell on the lap of a 40-year-old man who had been sitting in a lawn chair directing cars into the parking lot on the south side of the fairgrounds, Skoogman said. Another man, 28, who was leaning against a fence also was struck by a line.

A St. Paul officer kicked the parking aide's chair and pulled him away from the lines, Skoogman said.

Both men, who were not identified, were taken to Regions Hospital, where "they're apparently doing very good," Skoogman said. Paramedics checked the conditions of a handful of other people.

According to St. Paul police Sgt. Paul Paulos there were no visible signs of injuries to either victim. Both men were conscious when taken away. "I'm very pleased with the team effort that was displayed today," Paulos said.

Leann Litterer, of Burnsville, had just arrived and parked with six of her kids when the accident occurred.

"You could see what was going to happen," Litterer said. The truck driver's "angle was wrong and he was up on the curb. Someone behind the trailer yelled at him but he couldn't hear it.

"We heard a crack and the shower of sparks was surreal and scary."