MARCH 23, 2023:
A medical emergency is thought to be what caused a driver to crash into an electrical transmission pole on Fourth Street in Pierre yesterday (March 22, 2023) just before 1pm.
Police Captain Bryan Walz says Central South Dakota Communications dispatch center received a 911 call and when officers arrived on scene, they located the driver trapped inside an SUV. He says the electric pole– which held lines transmitting 115,000 volts of electricity– was sheared at its base and leaning at a severe angle.
Once the Pierre Electrical Department rerouted power, the Pierre Fire Department Rescue Squad began extricating the driver, who was the vehicle’s lone occupant. After about 45 minutes the driver was freed and Avera St. Mary’s Hospital in Pierre by AMR ambulance service.
Fourth Street traffic was closed until around 11pm yesterday, while the city Electrical Department fixed the transmission line pole.
A damage estimate is pending. The investigation is ongoing.
Assisting the Pierre Police Department were the Hughes County Sheriff’s Office, South Dakota Highway Patrol, Pierre Fire Department, AMR ambulance service, Pierre Electrical Department and Pierre Street Department.
MARCH 22, 2023, UPDATE:
Fourth Street in Pierre, between Governors Drive and Wellington Place, was expected to reopen at 11 o’clock last night (March 22 2023).
The stretch of street was closed in the afternoon after a vehicle hit an electrical poll. The closure was in place while emergency crews replaced the damaged electrical pole.
Further details are not yet available.
MARCH 22, 2023:
Fourth Street between Governors Drive and Wellington Place in Pierre is currently closed.
Emergency crews are repairing a damaged electrical pole.
The stretch of Fourth Street will remain closed until further notice.
Details of the incident are not yet available, but Police Captain Bryan Walz did confirm that there was not a fatality.
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