By J.W. Oliver
A South Bristol man was “very lucky” to walk away, without injury, from a Jan. 19 accident that planted a broken utility pole in his dashboard.
A utility pole juts out of the passenger side of an SUV as crews prepare to replace the pole on Route 129 in South Bristol Sunday, Jan. 19. The 2004 Ford Explorer slid off the road at 2:44 a.m. and hit the pole. The driver, a South Bristol man, was not injured. (Photo courtesy Mark Carrothers) |
Duncan W. Halm, 60, was driving a 2004 Ford Explorer when the SUV hit a utility pole at 2:44 a.m., according to Lt. Rand Maker, of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.
The accident was in the vicinity of 1585 State Route 129, just north of Alice Norwood Road.
“We had about 2-3 inches of heavy, wet slop on the road and he came around the ‘S’ curve heading north, lost control of the vehicle, slid off the road and hit the power pole,” South Bristol Fire Chief Mark Carrothers said.
The pole “went through the windshield and was embedded two feet through his dash on the passenger side,” Carrothers said.
“He’s very lucky,” Carrothers said. “When I got there, he was already out of the vehicle and he was in one of my responder’s units, sitting in the vehicle, and we gave him a ride home.” Halm was wearing his seat belt at the time of the crash, Carrothers said.
If Halm had been driving a little bit faster or hit the pole at a different angle, “he could have had that right in his lap,” Carrothers said.
The vehicle was probably a complete loss, Carrothers said, with significant damage to the passenger side, the suspension and a possible bent frame.
Central Maine Power Company shut off electricity to 758 customers from 7:40 a.m. to 10:12 a.m. to replace the pole, CMP spokeswoman Gail Rice said.
The accident slowed traffic on Route 129 until the fire department cleared the scene almost nine hours after the accident.
“It kind of takes that long when you have a power pole sticking out of the windshield of the car,” Carrothers said.
Central Maine Power Company, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and the South Bristol Fire Department responded to the scene.
