Web posted
Friday, March 14, 2008
Truck hits hydrant, leaves
By JOSHUA AMES
Courier Staff Writer
Winfield CornerBank employees had to scramble Wednesday night to protect bank property after a semi-truck hit the fire hydrant located on the corner of Ninth and Main Wednesday.
The truck also took out a light pole, and a long-standing tree may have to be cut down as a result of the accident.
But what really has police and CornerBank employees buzzing is the fact that the accident was a hit and run.
Around 7 p.m., CornerBank employee Michael Wacker was heading out to grab a bite to eat when he noticed the fire hydrant at the corner was missing, and a whole lot of water was flowing freely all around the block.
Wacker said the first thing that went though his mind when he eyed the scene was the stockpile of important documents housed in the lower sections of the building. He called CornerBank Executive Vice President Steve Hill, who then called people in to deal with the situation.
"My main concern was water getting into the basement, since we have a lot of records down there," said Wacker. "So there was definitely clean-up involved. Someone said we ended up getting about two to four inches in some areas of the basement. There were people here cleaning until 10:30 p.m."
According to Wacker, some bank employees were called to move boxes and other storage articles in the basement to higher ground. Once everything was moved, workers then began the long process of mopping and moving the water out of the building.
Winfield police officers originally trailed a semi-truck out of Winfield and pulled it over, but it wasn't the truck they were seeking.
Winfield Police Chief Jerry DeVore said the accident may have been documented on city cameras, and the department is looking into to any all leads. DeVore also encouraged anyone who may have seen anything to come forward.
"We've got an investigation going to try and get him located," said DeVore. "We're going to pull some tapes. It's an ongoing investigation."
Winfield city workers were working on the damaged area this morning. The damage produced a small sinkhole where the hydrant used to stand.
Anyone with information on the matter is asked to call the Winfield Police Department, 620-221-5555.
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