CLEARFIELD – About 2,350 Penelec customers were without power Thursday evening, as a result of the car/pole accident.
According to Penelec Manager External Affairs John Shimko, the accident occurred just around 7:20 p.m. Thursday when a car hit a utility pole on Schoefield Street near Meadow Street in Curwensville. The pole, and nearby wires were knocked down, affecting three circuits, including the main line between Curwensville and Clearfield.
According to the state police in Clearfield, the accident occurred as a 17-year-old Grampian boy received a text while driving. He took his attention off the road and when he looked up, realized he was in the wrong lane of traffic. He swerved, left the road and struck a utility pole. His vehicle continued on into Anderson Creek. He was wearing his seat belt and was not injured.
Power wasrestored to 1,400 customers on the main line within about 5 minutes. The remaining 900 customers were without power while Penelec crews made repairs to the downed pole and wires. Final repair was completed just before 7:00 a.m. Friday.
Penelec reminds customers to never approach downed wires as they may be energized. Power outages can be reported by calling 1-888-LIGHTSS or 1-888-544-4877.