REDLANDS: Solo-vehicle rollover shears power pole, causes power outages
Cal Fire/Riverside County and Cal Fire/Yucaipa firefighters responded to the rollover accident. William Hayes photo
The telephone pole the vehicle smashed into was sheared off at its base and left leaning precariously over the roadway. William Hayes photo
REDLANDS – California Highway Patrol officers and Firefighters from two different counties responded to reports of a solo vehicle rollover traffic collision on San Timoteo Canyon Road, between Live Oak Canyon Road and Redlands Boulevard Wednesday, Sept. 21.
The road where the accident happened is located in an unincorporated area north of Moreno Valley and east of Yucaipa.
CHP officers along with Cal Fire/Riverside County and Cal Fire/Yucaipa firefighters responded to the rollover accident at about 6:07 p.m.
The first arriving engine company located a sedan that had smashed into a telephone pole and was on it’s passenger’s side. Emergency first responders discovered the power pole the sedan crashed into was sheared off at its base and was dangling by the live power lines that were holding it up. It was also damaged near its top and needed to be removed and replaced by SoCal Edison personnel.
The driver and sole occupant of the sedan had managed to exit the vehicle prior to their arrival. The man, who was not identified, sustained facial and other unspecified injuries.
He was transported by ground ambulance to Riverside University Health System in Moreno Valley with major injuries, according to a CHP incident log.
Paramedics and firefighters discuss the accident that left the friver with major injuries. William Hayes photo
The process to replace the power pole caused the closure of San Timoteo Canyon Road for several hours. The damaged power pole also caused power outages to homes and businesses throughout the area.
According to SoCal Edison power was disabled at about 8:30 p.m. As of 12:30 a.m. they reported that power was not expected to be restored for as many as 13 hours after the accident. Power was expected to be restored by 7 a.m.
California Highway Patrol officers from the San Gorgonio Pass area office responded to conduct the investigation into the collision.
Their investigation into the cause of the accident is ongoing.
A CHP officer surveys the damaged power pole as he works under the live power lines keeping the pole from falling. William Hayes photo
According to a CHP officer on scene, alcohol and/or drug intoxication had not been ruled out as possible contributing factors to the single vehicle rollover accident.
Before San Timoteo Canyon was closed to through traffic, frustrated motorists were backed up for several miles in both directions.
San Timoteo Canyon Road was eventually closed in both directions at about 8:30 pm between Redlands Boulevard and Live Oak Canyon Road and is expected to remain closed for about 8 hours, while SoCal Edison personnel replace the destroyed power pole.
SoCal Edison and CHP officials were estimating the road closure would last for at least 8 hours. The road was expected to be reopened sometime around 4 am.
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Trevor Montgomery runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News and Anza Valley Outlook and also writes for Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County.
Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg and breaking his back in an off-duty accident.
During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center and Lake Elsinore Station, along with other locations.
Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.
Trevor has been married for more than 26 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and has 13 children and 12 – soon to be 13 – grandchildren.