A WOMAN narrowly escaped death on Tuesday morning when a TT Electricity Commission (T&TEC) pole with two transformers fell on top of her car while she was driving in Pleasantville.
The woman who declined to comment on her near-death experience, appeared shaken at the scene in front of the Pleasantville Health Centre.
She looked on in disbelief at the concrete pole lying on her car near which sustained extensive damage, mainly to the hood and shattering the windscreen. There were also large debris from the damaged pole on the car and nearby pavement.
There were no reports of injuries and the crash caused a power outage.
The police blocked off parts of the road to vehicular traffic as a crew from T&TEC safely detached and removed the transformers from the pole.
A statement from T&TEC said some concrete pump trucks were travelling on Chaconia Avenue around 9 am when they hooked onto cables from another utility company on the opposite side of the street.
The force eventually pulled on T&TEC’s infrastructure, bringing down the pole and two transformers onto this car.
The statement added that supply was restored to all the customers in the area except the health centre, which was directly served by that pole.
The workers were replanting a pole with transformers to restore supply to the centre.
Many people, including San Fernando mayor Robert Parris who arrived later, said the driver was very fortunate to have escaped unhurt.
“It is a miracle that she is alive. This could have been a different story this morning, and we are thankful for her life. Look at the condition of that car. I am thankful that there was no loss of life,” Parris said.
[caption id="attachment_1041767" align="alignnone" width="1024"] San Fernando mayor Robert Parris, right, leaves the scene where a concrete light pole fell on top of a car along Chaconia Avenue in Pleasantville on Tuesday. PHOTO BY LINCOLN HOLDER - Lincoln Holder[/caption]
The mayor said he was told that a cement truck accidentally pulled down some electrical lines.
The woman was driving behind the truck and saw the lines falling, and then the pole came down on her car.
He said he spoke to the driver, who said officials from an insurance company were on their way to the site of the accident.
“Drivers doing this type of transportation (with large vehicles) are required to inform the San Fernando City Corporation. Unfortunately, that does not always happen. The correct thing is for them to contact the corporation when they are doing that type of transportation throughout San Fernando,” the mayor said.
“That may be one of the things we need to start enforcing. We have had instances in Pleasantville where vehicles have pulled down lines, damaging homes. I thank God this case was not as bad as it could have been.”
Newsday learnt that the three trucks were transporting cement to cast the foundation of a house in Pleasantville. One of the trucks came into contact with the lines, and the police spoke to the driver.
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