Pickup driver topples power pole in early-AM crash on Hwy. 97 in Madras; downed lines, repairs prompt detour

MADRAS, Ore. (KTVZ) – A pickup driver left southbound Highway 97 at the south end of Madras and knocked down a power pole early Thursday morning, leaving lines across the road. A detour was in place for several hours while cleanup occurred and a repair crew worked to replace the pole.

The driver, a 71-year-old Vacaville, California man, was at the wheel of a Dodge pickup heading south on Fourth Street (Highway 97) around 5:45 a.m. when he left the road and hit the pole, Madras Police Chief Timothy Plummer said.

The driver was uninjured and no other vehicles were involved, Plummer said.

ODOT said it established a detour for southbound traffic to get around the blockage, and the police chief said Pacific Power crews were called in to replace the pole and reattach the wires. Pacific Power’s outage map indicated the crash knocked out power to just three customers; utility spokesman Simon Gutierrez said the pole was replaced and power restored at 2:15 p.m.

The two-lane roadway reopened shortly after 1 p.m.

Assisting Madras Police at the scene was Madras Public Works, ODOT and Jefferson County Fire and EMS.