A driver crashed his dump truck into a utility pole in Rosemount and was killed, authorities said Monday.

The wreck happened about 12:05 p.m. Saturday in the 12900 block of E. Blaine Avenue, just west of the Pine Bend Refinery, according to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office.

The driver was identified as Robert W. Niznik, of Hudson, Wis. Niznik was declared dead at the scene, the examiner's office said.

Niznik was heading north on Blaine with a full load of dirt or gravel when he went off the road and hit the Xcel Energy utility pole, police said.

Live power lines down at the scene slowed the response of police and other emergency personnel, said Rosemount Police Chief Mikael Dahlstrom.

Paul Walsh