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Impaired driver survives serious crash with hydro pole in Saanich

Emergency crews required 2 hours to safely extract driver from vehicle
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Emergency crews responded to the 1000-block of Burnside Road West Jan. 23 after an impaired driver collided with a hydro pole. (Courtesy Saanich Police Department)

The Saanich Police Department says an impaired driver is lucky to be alive after they drove into a hydro pole Sunday evening.

Officers responded to a report of a crashed vehicle in the 1000-block of Burnside Road West just after 4:20 p.m. Jan. 23. Upon arrival, they found a snapped utility pole laying across the cab of a truck, with the driver stuck inside.

SPD says the driver was uninjured but, because of the danger of active power lines and the fallen pole, it took officers and Saanich firefighters two hours to remove them.

The driver subsequently failed a roadside breath test and was given a 90-day driving prohibition and vehicle impoundment.

“In looking at the photos from the scene it is quite obvious to see that the driver was lucky to walk away without serious injuries. Not only did the pole land on the windshield of the truck, but several of the lines attached to the pole were energized with thousands of volts of electricity. A clear message on the inherent dangers and risks of operating a motor vehicle while impaired,” SPD said in a news release.

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