An alleged impaired driver crashed his 2002 Dodge Dakota pickup at the intersection of Estlee Mercer and Wood Duck roads Friday night, taking out a power pole and leaving hundreds of people without electricity on one of the coldest nights in Coffee County this winter.
The driver, whose name has not been released, was traveling north on Estlee Mercer Road when he left the roadway at Wood Duck Road, took out guide wires on a power pole, launched over 100 feet in the air, and finally came to a rest inches from a large pine tree. The driver then left the scene of the accident and walked to his home, where he was taken to Coffee Regional Medical Center for treatment.
Deputies and troopers from the Georgia State Patrol investigated the accident. It did not take long to figure out that the driver was at CRMC. A trooper headed there to speak with the alleged driver while other officers and first responders worked the scene.
The crash took out the utility pole and affected customers to the east of Estlee Mercer Road. As temperatures dropped below freezing Friday night, hundreds of citizens were without heat while crews worked to restore power. The job was a long one but they finished Saturday morning.
The driver will face a host of charges related to the crash, including DUI and leaving the scene of an accident.