A Tuesday morning commute on Beck Street in Salt Lake City turned into an unplanned parking situation for one driver who learned the hard way that overcorrecting is, in fact, worse than just drifting.
Around 11:30 a.m., a southbound driver on Beck Street, just north of Salt Lake, began drifting toward the center concrete median. Noticing the drift, the driver yanked the wheel back the other way, which sent the car straight into a power pole and then down into a small embankment. The driver was evaluated at the scene and walked away with only minor scrapes and bruises, which, considering how the pole fared, counts as a win.
The pole itself? Not so lucky. It snapped clean at the base and ended up suspended in the air, held up only by the very power lines it was supposed to be holding up. It was, by all accounts, a very bad Tuesday for that pole.
Salt Lake City Traffic Shut Down in Both Directions
The crash triggered immediate closures in both directions of Beck Street. According to the Utah Department of Transportation, northbound lanes were shut down near 1810 North in Salt Lake, while southbound lanes were closed at the US-89/I-15 interchange in North Salt Lake. That is a lot of frustrated commuters sitting in a lot of very long lines, which is its own kind of punishment for everyone involved.
Rocky Mountain Power crews responded to stabilize and clear the downed lines that were now doing their best tightrope impression across the road. In the immediate aftermath of the crash, more than 400 customers lost power in the surrounding area. No timeline for reopening the road was given, which is the traffic update equivalent of “we’ll get back to you.”
Salt Lake City Police are still investigating the cause of the initial drift. Whether it was distraction, fatigue, or just a general disagreement with the center median remains officially unknown. The investigation is ongoing.
The driver, to their credit, is fine. The pole is not available for comment.