Stolen semi nearly takes down CTV Edmonton tower

News from the world of Television

Stolen semi nearly takes down CTV Edmonton tower

Postby drmusic » Wed Oct 19, 2016 3:12 pm

CTV and other buildings evacuated Tuesday. The news didn't get on until after 6:30

http://edmonton.ctvnews.ca/mobile/polic ... -1.3120883
User avatar
drmusic
Advanced Member
 
Posts: 366
Joined: Mon Dec 29, 2008 9:56 pm
Location: the Great Prairie West

Re: Stolen semi nearly takes down CTV Edmonton tower

Postby jon » Wed Oct 19, 2016 4:20 pm

Police shut down section of 184 St. due to collision, transmission tower hit
Julia Parrish, Web Reporter, CTV Edmonton
Published Tuesday, October 18, 2016 4:41PM MDT
Last Updated Tuesday, October 18, 2016 7:03PM MDT

Edmonton police said a crash on the city’s west end forced the closure of a street, and the evacuation of a number of surrounding buildings after a wire on a transmission tower was struck.

Police said at about 2:40 p.m. Tuesday, a collision in the area of Stony Plain Road and 184 Street was reported to police.

Early details suggest a stolen semi-truck collided with another vehicle on Stony Plain Road, it entered the CTV Edmonton parking lot and hit the cable on the transmission tower located on the property, detaching the cable from the tower.

“He was coming quite fast, and he never stopped, he just swerved right in front of me and the school bus,” Witness Lee Abar said. “The truck that’s laying on its side now was half on, and half off the deck.

“He turned up 184 [Street] here and turned in here and crashed through the fence and over the fence.”

Bystanders also rushed to help the female driver of the small car.

“She had actually gotten out of the car on her own, and was coherent but hat regular chest pain that comes with an airbag deploying,” Witness Lawrence Little said.

Police said the female driver of the vehicle hit in the crash on Stony Plain Road was taken to hospital as a precaution.

It’s alleged the man who was driving the stolen semi attempted to flee in another vehicle described as a 1995 blue or turquoise Pontiac Grand Am that had been stolen from that parking lot.

Buildings nearby, including CTV Edmonton, were evacuated due to the risk of the tower collapsing - the evacuation order was lifted just after 6 p.m. Tuesday.

Drivers were asked to avoid 184 Street to north and southbound traffic between Stony Plain Road and 104 Avenue. That section of roadway was expected to be closed for several hours.

Crews on the scene Tuesday evening were working to remove the wreckage of the semi, which was still caught on a second cable for the tower – that second cable was still intact.

With files from Angela Jung
User avatar
jon
Advanced Member
 
Posts: 9256
Joined: Mon May 08, 2006 10:15 am
Location: Edmonton

Re: Stolen semi nearly takes down CTV Edmonton tower

Postby jon » Wed Oct 19, 2016 4:31 pm

To clarify, CTV (CFRN) and Global (CITV) share a transmitter site East of the City. One of the purposes of the tower at the studio site is for microwave reception from the Remote units and a downtown microwave repeater.

Historically speaking, CFRN-TV originally signed on in 1954 from the current studio site in West Edmonton. The transmitter moved to a rural location East of Edmonton when Dr. Allard approached Dr. Rice about sharing a new state of the art transmitter site for both CITV, which had not signed on yet, and CFRN.
User avatar
jon
Advanced Member
 
Posts: 9256
Joined: Mon May 08, 2006 10:15 am
Location: Edmonton


Return to On the small screen

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 93 guests