UPDATE: Box Truck Runs Off Route 72 In Stafford, Takes Down Wires

Traffic lights along many sections of Route 72 went dark late Thursday after a large box truck ran off the roadway and struck a utility pole, Officer James Haldenwang said.

Police responded to Route 72 and West Road at roughly 4:45 p.m.on Jan. 7 and found both occupants were already out of the vehicle, he said.

The driver, Marino-Perez Pena, 26, and the front passenger Saul Marinho, 60, were evaluated by emergency medical technicians as a precaution, but neither man was injured, police said.

The accident took down electrical wires in the area, so police closed down the right lane of travel and kept traffic moving. The following intersections were affected; Captain Randolph, Mermaid Avenue, Breakers, Neptune and Bay Avenue. The lights were out for about an hour, Haldenwang said.

Stafford EMS, the state Department of Transportation and the Atlantic City Electric Company also responded.

The box truck that was involved in the accident sustained heavy front end damage and was towed from the scene. Pena did not have a valid driver’s license and was given a summons. The cause of the accident is under investigation. by Patrolman Michael Wade.