A large portion of Islanders were without power early Friday, after a 41-year-old woman crashed her car into a power pole.
At about 3:30 a.m. on Sept. 13, Mercer Island Police were in the area of the 5400 block of East Mercer Way when a loud explosion was heard and felt. It was at this time that some of the Island lost power.
Commander Jeff Magnan, with Mercer Island PD, said it was his understanding that Puget Sound Energy (PSE) customers who lived near East Mercer Way, south of the collision, were affected. As of 12 p.m., the PSE outage map showed that 104 customers were still being impacted by the outage with an expected restoration time of 3:30 p.m.
Officers checked with PSE, who had workers in the area addressing another issue. They were unaware of what caused the power loss and the explosion.
“They weren’t sure because of lighting strikes happening all night, whether or not this was another lighting strike, but it was big,” Magnan said.
Police later found powerlines down and a power pole sheared off at the base. Police notified the PSE workers already in the area and asked that they investigate the lines that were down and ensure the area was safe so the investigation could continue.
Once the area was deemed without hazard, officers located a 2007 Ford Edge, they allege sheared the pole, down in the ravine. It was about 65 feet from the roadway.
Trapped inside the car was a Seattle woman who was conscious and appeared to have minor injuries. Police communicated with the woman through the sunroof of her car, Magnan said. The Mercer Island Fire Department responded and a City of Bellevue Ladder Truck assisted in pulling the driver from the ravine. It took about two hours.
After the woman was in a medic unit, officers determined she was intoxicated. The female was transported to Harborview Medical Center for treatment and the investigation into the DUI remains ongoing.
The driver, a 41-year-old woman, was found in her car with minor injuries. Her car was down a ravine, about 65 feet from the road. Photo courtesy of Mercer Island Police Department
