Driver Slams Into Pole, Causes Power Outage

SANTA ANA — Electricity was knocked out in a square-mile area of west Santa Ana on Tuesday evening when a 17-year-old driver apparently lost control of his car and slammed into a power pole, authorities said.

The driver was taken to Coastal Communities Hospital of Santa Ana, complaining of back pain, according to Santa Ana police. The passengers in his 1976 Chevrolet station wagon left the scene of the 6:20 p.m. crash, police said.

The damaged power pole knocked out the traffic signal at 1st and Fairview streets, one of the more heavily traveled intersections of the city, as well as other signals along Fairview from McFadden Avenue north to 5th Street.

“We probably had to send about a dozen officers to various locations to untangle the traffic,” Sgt. Dick Faust said.

The initial power outage was manifested as a surge of electricity in the downtown headquarters of the police and fire departments. But the actual outage, Faust said, appeared to be contained to an area bounded by the Santa Ana River on the west, 5th Street on the north, Sullivan Street on the east and McFadden on the south.

Faust said power was restored to most of the area in about 1 1/2 hours.

It was not clear what caused the crash on the well-traveled roadway, where power poles are close to curbs.

“I’d hate to count the number of accidents I’ve seen out there,” Faust said. “It’s a combination of the high-speed road, the curves and the heavy traffic.”

An investigation is continuing, but the driver was not cited Tuesday evening.