NORWICH – Random electrical blackouts rolled through the City of Norwich Tuesday after an unoccupied vehicle collided with a utility pole, nearly causing it to collapse.

A man removing a tractor from the back of his parked pick-up truck along West Main Street Wednesday looked on as the vehicle’s parking brake suddenly disengaged on the steep incline and sent the truck crashing down an embankment.

Norwich Fire Chief Tracy Chawgo reported that a private contractor was attempting to drop off a bucket loader from the bed of his pick-up when the brakes suddenly gave way. The truck careened down a hill and collided with a guide wire attached to the utility pole.

The truck hit the cables with such force, the reverberation caused the top section of the pole to snap at a 90-degree angle.