TRAFFIC COLLISION CAUSES NORTH JOSHUA TREE POWER OUTAGE

A woman who lost control of her car on a dirt road in north Joshua Tree crashed into a power pole, causing 689 homes to go without power for most of the night. About 6:18, a woman driving eastbound on La Brisa lost control and slammed her car into a power pole, near Sunfair Road. The power pole fell over, and its live lines came down on top of the car. The woman, who was not injured in the crash, then proceeded to get out of her car. Fire Captain Steve Lasiter counseled the woman about the dangers of power lines. A car is the safest place to be around downed power lines because of its rubber tires. Lasiter said if the lines were live, and if she had touched the car and the ground, she could have been electrocuted. Edison crews responded to the power outage and had power restored early this morning.