At least three vehicles drove into utility poles on the North Olympic Peninsula over the holiday weekend, and all drivers managed to escape injury.
One wreck took place at about 10:15 a.m. Sunday at 872 River Road near Sequim, according to the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office.
Sgt. Shaun Minks said a minor from Sequim was driving too fast for conditions when he hit a power pole. He was transported to Olympic Medical Center though no injuries were reported on scene, he said.
Another crash was at about 9:30 a.m. Sunday on Old Olympic Highway near Towne Road north of Sequim.
A 46-year-old Sequim man hit a pole while on an icy curve, Minks said. The driver was uninjured.
These two wrecks were both caused by icy roads, said Minks, urging drivers to slow down when there’s ice on the road.
Power was out Sunday morning for about 700 Clallam Public Utility District customers in the River Road area as crews repaired the system, according to Michael Howe, PUD spokesperson.
“PUD crews appreciate your patience as they work on Christmas Day to restore your power as a result of these accidents,” Howe said in an email.
Power was restored to all but four customers in the River Road area by 12:32 p.m., he said. Crews restored power to the remaining four customers at about 10:45 p.m. and completed repairs.
Crews continued to work on Old Olympic Highway into Sunday evening, completing the work at about 6 p.m. No outage was required.
Christmas Eve wreck
The third wreck happened Saturday morning.
Despite serious damage to his vehicle, a Port Angeles man was able to escape injury after hitting ice on the road and slamming into an electrical power pole on Christmas Eve.
The single-vehicle collision happened shortly before 9:40 a.m. as the 84-year-old man drove a Ford Escape westbound on Elwha River Road, according to Assistant Chief Dan Huff of Clallam County Fire District No. 2.
“He was westbound on Elwha River Road — the road that leads to the one-way bridge — and he hit a patch of ice and slid into the pole” at 1591 Elwha River Road, Huff said.
The pole was sheered off and was dangling just above the ground when firefighters arrived, Huff said.
The driver told medics he was unhurt and left the scene, Huff said.
Most damage to pole
While there was “significant damage to his car, the main damage, of course, was to the pole itself,” Huff said.
Despite the damage to the pole, there was no significant outage, Howe said, adding the pole would be replaced.
All things considered, the outcome was the best that could have been expected, Huff said.
“Considering his age [and] damage to the pole, the incident was better than most, let’s put it that way,” he said.
