News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
A single-vehicle crash that took out a power pole on Hwy 20 near Fryrear Road took down power to about 300 Central Electric Cooperative customers Friday evening, March 7.
The highway was shut down in both directions for approximately six hours until the power pole and lines could be removed from the road.
Deputies with the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office responded to the wreck at about 9:20 p.m. Oregon State Police and medics from the Sisters fire district also responded.
According to police, an investigation into the crash revealed that Michelle Dawn Walters, 37, of Bend, had been traveling eastbound on Highway 20 in a 2004 Chevrolet Cavalier when she attempted to negotiate a sweeping right-hand corner. The vehicle crossed the center line and the westbound lane, went through a power pole on the north side of Highway 20 and came to rest when it struck a tree.
Based on the investigation it is believed alcohol was a factor in this crash, according to Deschutes County Sheriff's Office reports. The driver was transported to St. Charles Medical Center in Bend for her non-life-threatening injuries. The passenger in the crash was not injured.
CEC spokesman Alan Guggenheim reported that most power was restored quickly: "Our stand-by crew responded immediately. They isolated the problem and were able to restore power to all but about 50 of the accounts by 10:45 p.m. We reinforced our two-man initial response team with four more line crew with bucket and boom trucks in order to replace a damaged utility pole with a new, 45-foot pole. Our six-man team restored power at 3:31 a.m., Saturday."
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