Children enrolled in the Hematite Head Start program were sent home this morning, Jan. 10, after a food delivery truck struck and knocked down an electrical line and damaged an electrical box on the building, leaving the building without electricity, authorities said.
The Hematite Fire Protection District got a call at 9:07 a.m. about the incident at the building, 3680 Hillsboro-Hematite Road, said Deputy Chief Rick Chartrand.
“There were no injuries (to the driver or to those inside the building) – the kids were safely picked up by their parents,” Chartrand said. “The truck tore down a power line running from a pole to the building. The truck snagged the low-hanging line.’
He said the building sustained no other damage.
“The building was checked by fire personnel and cleared,” Chartrand said. “There was no structural damage.”
An employee with the Jefferson-Franklin Community Action Corporation Hematite Head Start program who declined to be named said 11 adults and about 30 students were in the building when the incident occurred.
She was unsure if the program would reopen Thursday, Jan. 11, adding that it would depend on how soon the electrical wires and electrical box could be repaired.