By Sentinel Staff
A pickup driver crashed into power pole guy wires at 1512 Sawmill Creek Road Tuesday evening, knocking out power for many Sitkans.
The 20-year-old male driver was uninjured, police said. The vehicle, a GMC Sierra 4X4, was towed.
A transformer damaged in the accident had to be replaced, city electric director Scott Elder reported in a news release. The crash occurred about 7:48 p.m., and electricity was restored in most of the affected areas by 9:04 p.m., he said.
The outage was along Sawmill Creek Road near Allen Marine. The downtown area did not lose power.
Some businesses and homes in the immediate area remained without power while a line crew “made short work of the replacement,” Elder said.
Power was fully restored by 11 p.m., he said.
An investigation of the accident is underway, police said.
Phil Spiegle and Sitka Police Officer Amber Blackmon, at left, look at a pickup truck that struck power pole guy wires Tuesday evening and ended up in a drainage ditch, as Electric Department workers arrive to restore power in the 1500 block of Sawmill Creek Road. No one was seriously injured in the accident that knocked out power to large sections of town. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)
