By David Fleet
Editor
Groveland Twp.- Wedding crashers took on a new meaning earlier this month.
On Aug. 12, Bob Petrusha a township resident for the past 18 years was hosting a wedding with about 130 guests on his rural Auten Road property. The wedding couple had rented a 30-feet-by-60-feet tent and planned to exchange vows a short distance away near a pond on Petrusha’s farm.
“The reception area under the tent was gorgeous—tables were all set up, flowers were everywhere—it was awesome,” said Petrusha. “The nuptials were to begin at 4 p.m. so when the food catering truck arrived, I jumped in with the driver to show him where to park near the reception tent.”
As the driver pulled around the back of the Petrusha’s barn the top corner of the truck caught a low hanging wire that was supported by a utility pole.“The drive said, ‘oh s**t,’ then I could see the wire caught on the truck and the pole falling down on the tent roof,” he recalled. “It was an awful sick feeling. Then I could see smoke coming from the pole and tent—the driver bails out of the truck due to the propane tanks for cooking in the back. Then I’m seeing smoke and flames from a transformer on the pole—there’s a 7,000 volt wire on the ground. The hot wire is melting the plastic tables and the aluminum tent poles.”
The tent was empty at the time of the crash since the bride and groom along with guests were at wedding ceremony.
Petrusha calls 9-1-1.
“Since I live near the Genesee-Oakland county line, the call goes to Genesee County first. A dispatcher answers and switches me to Oakland County 9-1-1,” he said.
A few minutes later township firefighters arrived and secured the area around the live power line and the tent. They also contacted DTE.
“The Groveland firefighters were absolutely phenomenal,” he said. “They stayed on the scene until DTE arrived about two hours later, during that time they helped move chairs, tables and food from the tent to my barn which was nearby and large enough to hold the reception. The electrical power was out so some of the wedding guests, who lived happened live nearby went home and brought their gas generators so we could have electrical power in the barn.”
DTE crews told Petrusha it would be several hours before power was restored to his farm and many of the neighbors.
“DTE workers recognized the wedding situation and restored power so the wedding reception could continue in the barn,” he said.
The party went on.
“The wedding continued—the township firefighters, DTE and my neighbors all pitched in to make a potential bad situation better. Their kindness and concern was just unreal. We are just so lucky to have no injuries and a wedding the couple and guests will just never forget.”