Passing Truck Strikes Cable Lines, Affecting Charter Customers

Several Charter Cable customers were without service Saturday after cable lines were accidentally severed along a major Madison thoroughfare.
 
The driver of a private engineering service vehicle unintentionally left the boom raised as he drove eastbound on the Beltline Highway. The boom struck and tore down wires crossing over the Beltline. Two sets of wires snapped, affecting nearby businesses and residential customers.
 
The lines were originally believed to be power lines, so traffic was shut down and Ladder 2 called MG&E. When MG&E identified them as cable lines, traffic was reopened and firefighters made themselves available for other emergencies.