One careless turn, one snapped pole — and suddenly a quiet Grand Junction street was swarming with police cars and utility trucks Monday morning.

Crash Halts the Morning on Winters Avenue

It happened around 11 a.m. Winters Avenue isn’t exactly a high-traffic drag, but it sure turned into one for a few hours.

The dump truck, hauling who-knows-what, clipped a utility pole and took it down with a messy crunch.

One line here: That pole didn’t stand a chance.

The Grand Junction Police Department was quick to shut the area down. The scene turned into a dance of cones, flashing lights, and crews figuring out how to patch things up.

Xcel Energy Scrambles to Fix the Mess

The fallen pole wasn’t just an eyesore. It knocked out power for at least one customer — not the biggest blackout in history, but an inconvenience nonetheless.

An Xcel Energy crew pulled up to Winters Avenue before noon. According to their outage map, only one customer was impacted, but it still meant replacing a busted transformer.

The transformer swap went smoothly, but there was a twist: the pole itself actually belongs to a different company.

One sentence here: More folks, more coordination, more delays.

Citation for Careless Driving

While the power crew got busy, the Grand Junction Police Department wrapped up its investigation. It didn’t take long — some accidents are just that straightforward.

The dump truck driver got slapped with a citation for careless driving. No drawn-out drama, no court date circus — just paperwork and a reminder to pay better attention next time.

One officer at the scene said these poles have a way of attracting big rigs. “You’d be amazed how often it happens,” he said. “One moment of inattention, boom.”

One Lucky Break: No One Hurt

For all the crunching metal and splintered wood, the best news is this: no one got hurt.

A resident watching from her porch said she braced for worse when she heard the bang. “I thought for sure there’d be an ambulance,” she said. “But thank God, just a scare.”

The driver climbed out shaken but unscathed. And that’s something, at least.

What Happens Next?

Fixing a snapped pole isn’t as simple as plugging in a new one. There’s debris to clear, wires to check, and traffic to untangle.

Here’s how the aftermath lined up:

• Xcel Energy handled the transformer replacement.

• The pole’s owner (still unnamed publicly) has to fix the structure.

• Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) crews planned to start the bigger clean-up after 5 p.m.

That means Winters Avenue could see cones and flashing lights for a bit longer.

Crashes Like This Happen More Than You’d Think

If you think dump trucks hitting utility poles is rare, think again. Public works crews and police see it more often than folks might guess.

One local lineman said the region’s narrow roads, big rigs, and distracted drivers are a recipe for snapped poles.

Here’s a quick snapshot from local records:

It doesn’t take much. One wrong angle, one moment of drifting too close to the shoulder — and bang.

Neighbors: Just Another Monday

Residents near Winters Avenue are used to the occasional street drama. This wasn’t a pileup, a wildfire, or a five-hour SWAT standoff — just a truck, a pole, and a lot of waiting around.

One woman summed it up: “You always hear about someone hitting a pole. You just hope it’s not your pole.”

One sentence here: Luckily for most, this time it wasn’t.

Staying Clear and Staying Patient

When the pole came down, some locals grumbled about the blocked road. But EHS and police say keeping your distance is key. A live wire on the ground can turn a small wreck into a big headline.

That’s why, when you see cones and hazard tape, you don’t just weave through because you’re late for lunch.

One local Xcel worker said it plain: “We get people driving right through our work zone. Makes our job ten times harder.”

A Small Reminder for Big Trucks

For Grand Junction’s many truck drivers, this crash is a pretty good reminder — these roads have tight corners, low shoulders, and more poles than you’d think.

A veteran driver who passed by the scene shook his head. “One second too close and that’s it. You’re buying somebody a new pole.”

One line here: Or at least paying a fine.