When a car struck the curb and then a pole along W. Water Street near Main Street in Hellertown Thursday morning, the result was a chain reaction that pulled down another pole and wires. Although Water Street was closed to traffic for much of the day, no one was injured and utility disruptions were limited to telephone and Internet services. (Contributed photo)
For businesses and residents along W. Water Street between Front and Main streets in Hellertown, Thursday turned out to be anything but business as usual after a one-car accident involving downed telephone poles and wires closed the busy roadway for hours.
Authorities said the poles were brought down when an eastbound driver hit one of them as he approached the light at Water and Main streets at around 9:30 a.m. Thursday.
A Hellertown police officer said the driver was momentarily distracted by a cell phone and lost control of his vehicle, which then struck the curb and the pole.
He said the man wasn’t injured in the crash.
The impact of the collision, however, brought down not only the pole the driver struck but also one that was adjacent to it. Wires were left draped across parked cars and a section of sidewalk along W. Water Street between Main and Harris streets.
Following the crash, police closed Water Street to traffic in both directions while Verizon and other telecommunications crews assessed the damage, and then worked to install new poles and repair the damaged wires. Power in the area wasn’t affected.
Water Street traffic was detoured onto Front Street during the road closure, which was ongoing as of around 5 p.m. Thursday, as Verizon, Astound and Service Electric repair crews remained at the scene reattaching wires to the new poles that were erected.
Hellertown Police said they hoped to reopen the road to traffic by Thursday evening, pending the completion of the cleanup and other work by the utility crews.
Above, part of a utility pole that was toppled in a car accident lies in the middle of W. Water Street near Main Street in Hellertown Thursday. (Contributed photo)
Above, wires that were pulled down when utility poles were downed in the accident dangle across parked vehicles and the sidewalk along W. Water Street near Main Street in Hellertown. (Contributed photo)
Above, a Hellertown Police SUV blocks W. Water Street at Harris Street on Thursday afternoon. Water Street between Main and Front streets in the borough was closed to traffic for much of the day due to an accident involving a car vs. a utility pole.
Above, southbound traffic on Main Street in Hellertown navigates around barricades at W. Water Street, which was closed to traffic between Main and Front streets due to a crash involving downed poles and wires that occurred Thursday morning.
