Traffic accident cuts power

A two-vehicle accident the afternoon of July 14 shut down local businesses and left hundreds of Old Town customers and portions of Golden Hills without power for hours.

The accident involved two pick-up trucks that were traveling north on Woodford Tehachapi Road, just south of Highway 202 in Old Town.

According to CHP PIO Officer Aaron Maurer, for reasons still under investigation, “one of the trucks lost control and sheared off an electric power pole. Still moving, it came to rest against a second power pole where it then caught fire.”

“The driver who was alone was able to exit the vehicle with only minor injuries before flames destroyed the cab,” Maurer said.

The grass fire was quickly extinguished, but the truck

was a total loss. The condition of the second vehicle is unknown.

Maurer asks anyone who witnessed the accident to contact CHP investigating Officer Galloway at 661 823-5500.

The 4:30 p.m. accident forced several nearby businesses to close early.

South Street Digital cowwner Eric Horn said with no power and no air-conditioning, he and his fellow

staff members locked the doors and worked the rest of the afternoon from their homes.

Southern California Edison spokesperson Reggie Kumar reported: “Initially there were 1,700 customers affected by the outage. Edison crews worked through the night to reroute power and make major repairs. We anticipate full power restoration by mid-Thursday afternoon.”