A Guelph woman faces an impaired driving charge after a crash Wednesday night that closed a major road and knocked out power to hundreds of homes and businesses, Guelph police report.
At 10:30 p.m. several residents around Woodlawn Road East and Inverness Drive called to report the collision and resulting outage. Officers arrived to find a wooden hydro pole sheared off and live wires draped across a demolished car.
Officers spoke to a woman who identified herself as the driver and had sustained an electrical burn to her arm. As she was being assessed by paramedics, a strong odour of alcohol was detected on her breath. She was transported to hospital, where breath tests were conducted indicating she had nearly twice the legal amount of alcohol in her system.
A 24-year-old Guelph woman is charged with impaired driving and driving without a licence.
Two passengers in the car refused medical treatment. Woodlawn Road was closed in both directions through the night as hydro crews worked to replace the pole and restore power. Damage is estimated in the tens of thousands.
