August 02, 2025
Local News

DeKalb traffic rerouted for downed cable

By DARIA SOKOLOVA

Danielle Guerra - dguerra@shawmedia.com A piece of the wooden pole still attached to the fiber optic cable hangs in the intersection of Lincoln Highway and 9th Street in DeKalb while DeKalb firefighter Colin Juraska (left) and Lt. Keith Fritz wait for a repair crew from Frontier on Monday, Dec. 29, 2014.

DeKALB – No injuries were reported after a semitrailer hit a utility pole while trying to turn from Route 38 onto Ninth Street on Monday afternoon, authorities said.

About 12:24 p.m., a westbound semitrailer attempting to make a right turn struck a utility pole, authorities said. The top cap of the utility pole broke off, causing the Frontier fiber optic cable to come down, Battalion Chief James Zarek said.

Several squad cars and fire trucks blocked a portion of Route 38 from Seventh to Tenth streets for about 20 minutes starting at 12:40 p.m. Comcast and Frontier crews were working on the scene to fix the downed line.

The driver, Muneef Elateek, 42, of the 7800 block of South Rutherford Avenue in Burbank, was charged with making an improper turn. Police said he was driving a U.S. 1 Logistics truck.

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