NORWICH – Sunday evening, a ten-wheel dump truck traveling Oxford to Norwich along State Highway 12 tore down electrical wires and traffic lights after driving with its rear bed extended in the vertical unloading position.

Norwich Fire Chief Tracy Chawgo said the truck traveled from the Village of Oxford area to the intersection of Lower Ravine Road, Rt. 12 and the Wal-Mart parking lot when the driver suddenly became aware that his rear bed was still up after he collided with a traffic light.

Chawgo said the crash destroyed the traffic light, brought down a number power lines and caused localized electrical disruptions.

Chenango County Emergency Management Officer A. Wesley Jones said a 911 call came into the dispatch center at 5:40 p.m. Sunday and crews from the Norwich Fire and EMS had responded to the scene by 5:49 p.m.

The Norwich Police Department and Oxford Fire Department were asked to assist in traffic control at the scene until fire police could arrive.

Norwich Police Officer Craig Berry responded to the scene for the first 30 minutes of the incident to aid in traffic control and said several other vehicles on the roadway appeared to have suffered minor damage as a result of the downed debris.