Sanderson closed after SUV plows head-on into power pole
SAN JACINTO — A driver who plowed into a San Jacinto power pole, shearing the pole in half and knocking it down into the roadway, managed to walk away uninjured earlier this morning, Wednesday, Sept. 25. The crash, which caused the all-day closure of Sanderson Ave, happened between Cottonwood Ave. and Ramona Blvd., according to officials and witnesses.
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Emergency personnel were first alerted to the crash around 6:45 a.m., after receiving multiple reports of a small SUV that had smashed into a power pole, causing the pole’s live wires to fall onto the roadway.
When officials arrived they found a silver SUV that had crashed head-on into a power pole, knocking it and its power lines down onto the road, which was left completely blocked and impassable.
A driver walked away uninjured after plowing head-on into a San Jacinto power pole earlier this morning. San Jacinto Sheriff’s Station photo
“Shockingly, the driver was not injured,” witness and community news reporter Sergio Rodriguez, of Hemet Valley Incidents, reported from the scene.
While deputies investigated the cause of the crash, a tow truck worked to remove the heavily-damaged car from the location.
A Southern California Edison work crew was also summoned to the scene and is currently working on replacing the pole.
As of this 11:30 a.m. report, Sanderson Ave. remained closed and officials have said the road closure will likely last throughout the rest of the day while Southern California Edison crews work to replace the destroyed pole and repair the damaged power lines.
“Due to a downed power pole, (Sanderson Ave.) is expected to be closed for most of the day,” San Jacinto Sheriff’s Station explained in a social media release cautioning drivers to steer clear of the area and drive safely.
The cause of this morning’s crash remains under investigation.
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Trevor Montgomery, 48, moved last year to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, (the now defunct) Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta 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, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s 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 29 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 15 – but soon to be 16 – grandchildren.