Rollover crash south of Redmond shears off power pole, injures driver; 450 CEC members lose power for hours

(Update: Power pole, lines repaired, road reopened)

REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A driver left SW Helmholtz Way near Canal Boulevard south of Redmond Sunday evening in a rollover crash that broke one power pole and left others leaning and lines down across the road, knocking out power to about 450 Central Electric Cooperative members for several hours.

Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies and other first responders were dispatched shortly before 8 p.m. Sunday to the crash that left several power lines hanging low over the roadway, Sergeant Chris Barringer said.

An Oregon State Police trooper was the first on scene and contacted the driver, who was trapped in the Tesla, which came to rest on its roof. Barringer said Redmond Fire units arrived to begin extrication efforts, while an air ambulance was requested to take the driver to the hospital.

Barringer said CEC advised deputies the wires across the road “are considered to be active and dangerous. Drivers are asked to avoid the area, and nearby residents are asked to stay in their homes."

CEC Communications Coordinator Courtney Cobb confirmed the outage and that repair efforts had begun.

“Power lines are down, and crews are working to replace the broken pole and restring the power line,” Cobb said. She said CEC personnel would be “working through the night to restore power as quickly and safely as possible.”

Repairs were completed and power restored just before 3:30 a.m. Monday. Helmholtz Way was reopened by about 4 a.m.