Highway Closed for 12 Hours After Van Topples Power Pole

A toppled electrical pole caused officials to close California 118--one of Ventura County’s main east-west roads--for 12 hours Sunday, forcing motorists to detour nearly nine miles.

A van ran off the road and knocked down the pole at 5:49 a.m., blocking the road about a mile west of Moorpark, said Officer David Wighton of the California Highway Patrol.

Motorists were detoured onto Grimes Canyon Road, Broadway, Stockton Road and Balcom Canyon Road until 5:49 p.m., when California 118 reopened.

“We’ve had traffic going by here all day long,” said Fauvette Rollyson, who lives on Stockton. “Fortunately, this was not a weekday or the trucks would be unbelievable.”

Wighton agreed. “On a weekday you get a heavy commuter traffic, but today was pretty light,” he said.

Another Stockton Road resident, Richard Allen, said he counted almost 100 cars a minute going in both directions during peak traffic on the detour. “It was steady, almost bumper-to-bumper,” Allen said, adding that Stockton Road normally is seldom used.

“Usually, on a weekend, if someone goes by I go out to see who it is,” Allen said.

Keith Sheldon, a spokesman for Southern California Edison Co., said the toppled wires were “live” and had to be handled carefully. Then a new pole had to be installed and wires restrung before the road could be reopened.

The accident cut power to residents in the immediate area, Sheldon said. Rollyson said her home lost power for about 75 minutes, but Allen had no power loss.

The accident occurred when Salvador Padilla, 28, of Pomona, driving a Chevrolet van west on 118, veered across the opposing lane, left the roadway and hit the pole, Wighton said.

Padilla left the scene but was found in Moorpark about 5 1/2 hours later by deputies of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department, Lt. Kelly McIlvain said. He has not been cited, Wighton said.