Car Overturns After Snapping Utility Poles in Lawrence

After veering off the road and knocking down two utility poles and live electrical wires, a car flipped over and came to rest on its side in front of the Burger King in the 1800 block of Brunswick Pike (Business Route 1) in Lawrence Township early this morning (Sunday, Oct. 2).

The driver of the 2007 Chevrolet Malibu – Betty Santos, 28, of the 1400 block of Parkside Avenue in Ewing Township – suffered minor injuries in the accident and was transported by ambulance to Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton for treatment, Lawrence Township Police Sgt. Chris Longo said.

He said Santos was charged by police with driving under the influence of alcohol, reckless driving and driving without a license.

Santos was driving south on Brunswick Pike when the accident occurred about 1:35 a.m.

The two toppled utility poles – both snapped completely in half near their bases – pulled down live electrical wires as they fell. One of the poles, which had a street lamp and a solar panel attached to it, fell into the right southbound lane of Brunswick Pike, causing the power lines still connected to it to dangle dangerously low across both sides of the road.

Township police officers immediately blocked both sides of Brunswick Pike to keep other motorists and pedestrians away from the live wires.

Volunteer firefighters from the township’s three fire companies were dispatched. First-arriving rescuers from Slackwood Fire Co. quickly extricated Santos from the wreckage and passed her into the care of a township ambulance crew.

The dangers emergency responders face at accident scenes was clearly illustrated for the handful of neighborhood residents who – having been awakened by the noise of the crash – came out of their houses to see what was going on.

As they watched from the sidewalk across the street, the spectators saw a car drive around a police vehicle that, with its flashing warning lights on, was positioned to block the northbound lanes of Brunswick Pike. After bypassing the police barricade, the car sped north past the dangling wires, its driver seemingly oblivious to the police officers and firefighters working nearby or the other emergency vehicles with their warning lights on along the southbound side of the road

A police officer went after the car and pulled it over a few blocks away. The car’s driver – Michelle Arbelaez, 21, of the 1300 block of Hamilton Avenue in Trenton – was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving and charged with DUI, reckless driving, and failing to follow the directions of police, according to Longo.

About 2:20 a.m., just minutes after heavy rain started to fall, a bright blue arc of electricity shot upward from the toppled pole closest to the overturned car. Emergency personnel immediately retreated to a safe distance. The arcing continued for more than 30 seconds, until a Public Service Electric & Gas Co. lineman was able to shut off power to the area.

It was estimated that it would take PSE&G personnel several hours to replace the snapped poles and reattach the wires.