Former County Emergency Management Coordinator Causes Another Emergency

A piece of tall equipment that was being hauled on a trailer tore down multiple power lines (at least eight) between Rutersville and La Grange Tuesday morning, April 28. The driver of the pickup pulling the trailer was former Fayette County Judge Candidate Craig Moreau.

The incident happened around 8 a.m. La Grange Police Chief David Gilbreath said he was patroling SH 159 near Texas One Stop when he saw one of the power lines come down. A witness in the One Stop parking lot told the Record she heard a loud “boom” from a transformer that exploded.

Gilbreath activated his lights and stopped the pickup that was pulling the trailer. Gilbreath said Moreau was heading into La Grange pulling a dump trailer loaded with an excavator machine. The excavator boom was extended too high and caught the powerlines, Gilbreath said.

One of the lines it struck pulled a meter loop off a nearby house and damaged the roof. All of the damaged power lines belonged to the City of La Grange. City crews responded quickly to restore power.

The Texas Department of Public Safety is investigating the accident. Details about whether any citations were issued was not available at press time.