‘Unaware’ driver takes down three power poles, causes Laurens power outage

Laurens, South Carolina – After Hurricane Helene, the Laurens Commission of Public Works lost numerous power poles on Farley Avenue. Two months later, the street got hit again when about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 3, three of the brand new power poles were broken from a driver’s mishap.

“This is a primary line so it affects a lot of customers,” said CPW General Manager John Young, “and when you have three poles come down on a main line, it’s not a fast repair.”

Immediately following the incident, at least 700 customers were without power, Young said.

After about two hours of CPW crews repair work, Young estimated that 200 to 300 were likely still without power.

“A truck was pulling a trailer with an excavator which caught on the conductor going across the street. The tension pulled down three poles and he drove away.,” Young said. “When I last spoke with the electric superintendent, he estimated that the crews would be working all night to finish the repairs.”

The poles themselves are not that expensive, but all the equipment that’s on them is costly. 

“One pole with power lines is one thing but transformers and other equipment and the labor, plus a lot of these poles also carry telecommunications,” Young said. “It adds up and all of that has to go back up too.”

While most single automobile accidents don’t cause this much destruction, it’s not an unusual occurrence, and CPW looks to the car owner’s insurance to help cover the repair costs.

Laurens Police Chief Heath Copeland said officers eventually located the driver, who said he was unaware  that his equipment had damaged the lines and poles.