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Car collision breaks utility pole, knocks out power

Posted at 12:30 pm October 22, 2012
By John Huotari 3 Comments

Car Accident South Jefferson Circle

A driver reportedly suffered minor injuries and power was knocked out in an area of west Oak Ridge after a single-vehicle accident on South Jefferson Circle on Sunday. (Photos by Tom Scott)

A car hit a utility pole cable on South Jefferson Circle on Sunday night, breaking the pole and knocking out power to about 690 customers, a city official said Monday.

The customers who lost power after the 7:45 p.m. accident were located along Louisiana Avenue and its side streets, Oak Ridge Electric Director Jack Suggs said. He said temporary repairs were made, and power was fully restored at about 9:15 p.m.

Suggs said the car left the roadway—it wasn’t clear whether it had been on Oak Ridge Turnpike or South Jefferson Circle—and struck a guy wire that holds up a pole near Weatherford Mortuary. The pole broke and split down the middle.

“Emergency responders arrived at the scene and secured it until personnel from the power company could be called in and respond,” Suggs said.

The driver was reportedly taken by ambulance to Methodist Medical Center with what appeared to be minor injuries.

Car and Power Pole Accident

Oak Ridge firefighter David Gray responds to a single-vehicle accident between a car and a utility pole on South Jefferson Circle on Sunday night.

City workers used a utility truck to hold the pole in place through Sunday night.

Suggs said crews planned to replace the pole today. Suggs said he didn’t expect many outages, if any, while the pole is changed.

“Although the ever present possibility of a power outage becomes even greater when lines are being repaired, we anticipate that we will be able to notify all customers affected individually,” Suggs said.

Filed Under: Government, Police and Fire Tagged With: collision, Jack Suggs, power, South Jefferson Circle, utility pole

Comments

  1. Onslow West says

    October 22, 2012 at 7:08 pm

    It looks like the car has a Disabled Passenger placard hanging from the rear view mirror. Was there a passenger in the car with the driver?

    Reply
    • John Huotari says

      October 22, 2012 at 8:38 pm

      Not that I’m aware of, but I’ll see if the accident report is ready tomorrow.

      Reply
    • John Huotari says

      October 26, 2012 at 4:47 pm

      The accident report just listed the driver, Lois E. Russell of Oak Ridge. She was taken to Methodist Medical Center with possible injuries.

      Reply

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