Out-Of-Control Pickup Truck Crashes Into Utility Pole, Knocks Out Power In New Kensington
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NEW KENSINGTON (KDKA) -- Some people in Westmoreland County were left in the dark this New Year's Day when an out-of-control pickup truck crashed into parked cars and a utility pole.
It happened around 2:40 a.m. in the 300 block of Freeport Road in New Kensington.
Homeowner Michael Kirven was woken up by what he says sounded like an explosion.
"It sounded like an explosive but also with an impact," he said.
The impact caused the utility pole to snap at its base.
"Isn't that something?" said Kirven. "That pole goes down into the ground about a good six feet."
Being without power is certainly not a good thing, but a lot of neighbors say it would have been a lot worse if the pole, which was destroyed, wasn't there at all.
Kara Miller is especially thankful given what could've also ended up splintered and destroyed.
"It could have been my house, it could have been someone walking up the street," she said.
In addition to destroying the pole, the pickup also slammed into several cars parked along the street. Then, there's the power issue.
"I'm not just out of power, our block is, there's people up in our other communities that are out of power because of this incident that happened here," Miller said.
West Penn Power reported some 2,100 customers initially lost service. That number down to 200 by noon Tuesday. Full service was not expected to be restored till after midnight.
Investigators say the male driver of the pickup was detained at the scene. No word on his name or what, if any, charges the man faces.