GRAND HAVEN, Mich. - Ambulances transported a pedestrian and the driver of one of three cars involved in a crash early Saturday afternoon next to the Grand Haven Farmer’s Market.
The 2:46 p.m. incident at the intersection of Jackson and First streets involved a pickup truck taking down a large power pole and forcing the closure of the main entrance to Grand Haven’s waterfront for several hours.
The chain of events started when a 48-year-old Caledonia man, driving a red pickup truck west on Jackson Street, suffered a medical emergency, apparently pushed down his accelerator and slammed into the back of a light blue Mustang driven by a 48-year-old Ludington man, said Sgt. Lee Adams of the Grand Haven Department of Public Safety.
The truck continued and struck a Toyota Sonata driven by a 61-year-old Grand Haven woman. That collision forced the Sonata off the road, where it grazed a pedestrian on the sidewalk, Adams said.
The truck then smacked into the large power pole, breaking it in half, before crossing traffic and coming to rest on the opposite side of the road.
Adams said the pedestrian, a 70-year-old West Olive woman, was lucky, suffering only a laceration to her head and a possible hip injury. A North Ottawa Community Hospital ambulance transported her to Holland Hospital.
The Grand Haven woman driving the Sonata suffered a broken arm and was transported to North Ottawa Community Hospital.
Both the Caledonia man and the Ludington man refused medical treatment, Adams said.
Police roped off the intersection because of the downed lines.
The Grand Haven Board of Light and Power line crews responded to the scene and were able to open the eastbound lane at about 9 p.m., said Lead Lineman Doug Bowers. Crews worked until midnight, making sure the area was safe.
Bowers said the crews returned at 8 a.m. Sunday to connect wires to a new pole.
Bowers said the crash cause power to blink, but not go out. Crews rerouted the power so they could work on the downed pole and lines.
They planned to have the intersection open by about 3 p.m. on Sunday, but planned to be back on the scene Monday morning to complete connections to poles on either side of the new pole.
Bowers said it was important to get the connection completed before the next heat wave hit and put a heavy load on the lines.
The pole that was broken was a two-circuit primary switch pole, Bowers said.
The Caledonia man will be referred to the Secretary of State for a driving evaluation, due to the medical problem, Adams said.
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