Point Reyes Light - September 21, 2000
Lucasfilm big rig leaves trail of downed lines and limbs
Lucasfilm is investigating whether one of its subcontractors working on its Big Rock Ranch office park was responsible Tuesday for leaving a trail of downed telephone lines and broken tree limbs from Nicasio to Petaluma.
Skywalker Ranch and county firefighters responded to a call of downed phone lines on Lucas Valley Road around 1 p.m., shortly after a subcontractor left the Big Rock construction site with a flat-bed truck carrying a large backhoe, said Lucasfilm spokesperson Jeanne Cole.
Around the same time, Marin County Sheriff's Lt. John Brunslik was following a Dairyman's Milling truck eastbound on the Point Reyes-Petaluma Road. On Red Hill, near the entrance to McEvoy Ranch, the big rig nearly jackknifed as it slammed on its brakes and became entangled in a mess of downed phone lines, Lt. Brunslik said.
Broken limbs & lines Following a trail of broken tree limbs from the McEvoy Ranch to Petaluma, Lt. Brunslik said he found a backhoe and big rig parked near the intersection of D Street and Sunnyslope Drive. The driver told him he was trying to lower the height of his rig, which he was transporting from Lucasfilm's development at Big Rock.
Lt. Brunslik said he notified Petaluma Police and the California Highway Patrol of the incident.
A California Highway Patrol officer was sent to investigate the downed phone lines near the McEvoy Ranch, where the Dairyman's Milling truck became entangled. CHP spokesman Marcus Bartholomew was unavailable to comment on the investigation Wednesday.
Pacific Bell received a report of the downed phone lines near the McEvoy Ranch around 3 p.m. and sent workers there to right a telephone pole and splice together about 50 phone lines. No service was reported disrupted by the accident, which was fixed around 8 p.m., said spokesman Rodd Aubrey.
Mysterious repair Oddly enough, Aubrey said the downed lines on Lucas Valley Road were fixed without any response from Pacific Bell.
Lucasfilm spokesperson Cole said she noticed the incidents of downed phone lines on her evening commute but was hesitant to blame one of her company's subcontractors for the damage without conclusive proof.
"It's something we will be investigating," she said, noting the subcontractor will be held responsible for the damage if he is truly to blame.