A crash near Carterville, Missouri nearly turned deadly when an SUV slammed into a utility pole at full force. The impact brought several live power lines down onto the road before the vehicle itself caught fire. The driver managed to climb out of the burning vehicle to safety. He wasn’t hurt, however, and even turned down medical care offered at the scene.
It happened just after 3:30 p.m. on June 25, on Highway HH east of Prosperity Road. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the incident was categorized as a single-vehicle crash involving an eastbound Chevy Trailblazer. The SUV left the road to the right, hit a driveway culvert, and went partially airborne before striking a utility pole. The impact snapped the pole into three large pieces.
When the pole came down, the power lines fell onto the car and began arcing. The SUV caught fire, and its fuel tank was punctured and leaking. The male driver climbed out through the passenger side and got himself to safety. A long list of agencies rushed in, including Carterville and Duenweg fire crews, Carterville police, Jasper County deputies, an ambulance, the highway patrol, and utility crews from Liberty and Spire Gas.
Liberty Utilities cut power to the downed lines, and firefighters used foam to knock down the flames. Crews then lifted the car to drain the leaking fuel and put the fire out completely. Highway HH stayed closed for about two hours while the car was towed and the mess was cleared. Utility crews expected to be on scene for a while replacing the pole and restoring power, so drivers were asked to take it slow through the area.
Why Downed Power Lines Can Make a Crash Even Worse
When you add live power lines to a car crash, you can turn things exponentially worse without even realizing it. With lines draped over the vehicle, you have the potential to create an even more harmful situation. Downed lines can still be carrying electricity, and the arcing this driver’s car set off is a clear sign the wires were live. That’s why first responders often can’t rush straight in until the utility company cuts the power.
The standard advice in that situation is the opposite of what instinct says. If your car is in contact with a downed line and not on fire, the safest move is usually to stay inside and wait for help. The vehicle can act like a shield, and the real danger comes the moment you touch the car and the ground at the same time. Stepping out into an energized area is how people get seriously hurt.
What to Do When the Car Is Also on Fire
This crash had the one exception to that rule. When the SUV caught fire, staying put was no longer an option, which left the driver with the hardest version of the problem. In that case, the guidance is to jump clear of the vehicle so you don’t touch the car and the ground at the same time. Then you keep your feet together and shuffle or hop away, rather than taking normal strides.
It isn’t clear how much of that the driver had time to think about. What matters is that he got out of a burning car with live wires nearby and came through it without a scratch. Crashes like this one are a reminder that a vehicle fire and a downed line can happen in the same instant, with only seconds to react. That said, the only casualties this time were a power pole and a Chevy Trailblazer.