A man is trapped inside his car in Greenbelt, Maryland, Monday after a live telephone pole he crashed into fell onto of his car.
Lyft driver Tina Sullivan saw the accident go from bad to worse while stopped at the intersection at Greenbelt Road and Cherrywood Lane around 12:30 p.m.
“I was sitting at the light and all the sudden the whole pole starts dropping,” Ms. Sullivan, 37, told The Washington Times. “Then it falls over, hits the car, flames flying, sparks popping, then it’s just hanging in the middle of the road.”
Ms. Sullivan, who is from Lanham, Maryland, snapped the photo of the pole balancing on the black car as she drove past.
“There was a police officer right next to me, so he was able to get there real quick,” she said.
Unfortunately for the driver, who remains unidentified, police were not immediately able to extricate him from the wreckage.
George Matthews, spokesperson for the Greenbelt Police Department, told The Times that police and EMS cannot reach the driver until the electricity running through the telephone wires is switched off.
“They have to render the situation safe, and then get the individual safe,” Mr. Matthews said. He did not know the condition of the driver.
In the meantime, traffic will be rerouted as emergency crews work on the wires.
“West-bound traffic is closed for the foreseeable future,” Mr. Matthews said.
• Julia Airey can be reached at jairey@washingtontimes.com.
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