‘I was panicked’: Motorist shocked by falling power pole in Newmarket

Last week, Aurora resident Karlee Mannella was driving home on Yonge Street in Newmarket when a power pole appeared to explode before her eyes with a thunderous roar.

She braked sharply and was startled as live electrical wires fell onto the road in a shower of sparks.

“It was stressful,” Mannella said. “At first I didn’t understand what was happening. Luckily I braked hard at the right time, before the cables hit my car. Everyone behind me didn’t know what was happening. They were honking their horns. That made me panic a little more.”

Emergency crews responded to the area of ​​Yonge Street, between Kingston Road and Bonshaw Avenue, on July 3 around 5:30 p.m., when the downed power pole knocked out power to 900 homes and businesses for several hours.

Mannella turned on her hazard lights and pulled over to allow other drivers to pass, who drove over live power lines until help arrived and the lanes were closed to traffic. The power outage, which affected traffic lights, caused further chaos at the intersection.

She called her family and said she was upset.

“I was panicking. I didn’t understand what I was saying,” Mannella said.

After processing what had happened, she calmed down, but the incident brought back distressing memories of a serious collision in which she had been involved as a passenger.

“After my first accident, I couldn’t get in my car for a month, so now I feel much safer in a car when I’m driving than when other people are driving,” Mannella said.

NT Power continues to investigate the cause of the power pole collapse, but says it was likely related to the high winds at the time.

“Weather can never be ruled out as a contributing factor,” said Alex Braletic, vice president of engineering and operations.

Braletic said the week’s high winds and rain may have weakened the base of the old wooden pole, which has deteriorated. He added that the utility company regularly inspects its poles.

“There is always the possibility of a pole failing due to age,” Braletic said. “We do full inspections of the poles every year, and poles that need to be replaced are replaced immediately.”

Braletic said the majority of the power poles are wooden, but some are concrete, particularly on Davis Drive and Yonge Street, starting at Savage Street.

“Wood posts are not as strong as concrete posts and are more susceptible to insects and weather elements, such as wind,” Braletic said. “Concrete posts, while not susceptible to insects, are susceptible to freezing and thawing.”