Driver cited in Hwy. 20 crash into power pole east of Sisters
A pickup truck struck a power pole near on U.S. Highway 20 east of Sisters early Monday, and while the two occupants escaped injury, the crash cut power to hundreds in the area and closed the highway for more than five hours for pole replacement work.
Deschutes County sheriff’s Sgt. Vance Lawrence said it appeared Danny Sherfield, 21, of Bend was heading east on Highway 20 west of Fryrear Road around 3:45 a.m. when his blue 2010 Ford F150 left the north side of the highway and struck a power pole shearing it off.
Neither Sherfield nor his passenger, Weston Cowell, 21, had reported injuries, Lawrence said, but Sherfield was cited for careless driving.
The power pole blocked westbound traffic and downed lines blocked traffic in both directions, Lawrence said.
Central Electric Cooperative reported the crash cut service to 545 members in the area between Tumalo and Sisters. Crews were able to switch power and restore all but about 100 accounts in the immediate area around 5 a.m., they said.
CEC said on its outage update Website that the rest of the affected members had their power restored by 9:20 a.m.
“Crews needed to replace the damaged power pole with another, a process that requires several hours of equipment and materials transport, pole removal and new pole installation,” the utility said.
ODOT said on its TripCheck page the work prompted a lengthy closure of Highway 20 between Cloverdale Road on the east and the Hwy. 20-126 intersection to the west. A detour was in place using Fryrear Road and Highway 126 into Sisters until the road reopened around 10 a.m.
