Pole has a huge margin of error

A utility pole slammed through the wall of a home in Fitchburg on Tuesday, missing a family by just a few feet.

A Unitil truck was working to replace a broken pole. The truck began to slide on the icy street. But when the truck stopped, the pole it was carrying did not.

“As he approached the hill, he started sliding backwards. The truck came down, jackknifes and the utility pole went straight through the house,” said Fitchburg Fire Department Chief Paul Vaillancourt.

Melvin Gibbs and his wife say the pole came into their home about eight feet but missed them by much less.

“We were sitting, watching TV. My wife was in the mirror doing her hair,” Gibbs said.

Nobody was hurt, but a step or two in any direction for the Gibbses could have drastically changed the outcome of this story.

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“I didn't need this. But I am grateful. I thank God that I wasn’t standing there because I could have been and it could have been worse,” said Kwajalein Gibbs.

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A second truck came to remove the pole.

Luckily, there was no structural damage to the home.

But it was close: The pole missed a main support by just inches.