A suspected drunken driver collided with a telephone pole and caused an 11-hour power outage and overnight road closure on Lockewood Lane in Scotts Valley on Monday afternoon.
The accident took place at about 5:15 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 16 at the intersection of Lockewood Lane and Caseta Way, near Whispering Pines Drive.
A Ford Excursion SUV driven by 42-year-old Scotts Valley resident Karen Bauer clipped several garbage cans and a parked Dodge Ram before running through a telephone pole — snapping off a 15-foot length — and running into another vehicle and rolling onto its side.
According to California Highway Patrol, the Excursion was traveling south toward Graham Hill Road on Lockewood when the accident occurred. A second vehicle, a Nissan Xterra, was preparing to turn from Caseta Way when the SUV collided with it, spinning it to the shoulder. Â
Bauer was extracted from the Excursion, taken by ambulance from the scene and airlifted from Skypark. It was unclear what type of injuries she suffered.
A 17-year-old who was driving the Xterra appeared to have suffered minor cuts and bruises.
Along with the damaged vehicles, a residents’ brick wall was damaged by the Excursion.
Lockwood Lane between Tan Oak Drive and Hidden Glen Drive in Scotts Valley was closed between 5:20 p.m. and 4:10 Tuesday morning as Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. crews replaced the broken telephone pole and restrung wires.
According to PG&E, 328 customers in the area lost electricity for about 11 hours before it was restored at 4:10 a.m.
