Traffic lights in central Niagara County were without power Friday after a driver struck a utility pole in Cambria.
Cambria Fire Chief Roger Schrader said a driver in his 40s lost control of his pickup truck on Route 31 between Subbera and Meahl roads on Friday morning. Schrader said the vehicle rolled after entering the ditch and struck a utility pole that is a main line for power distribution in the Lockport, Sanborn and Pendleton areas.
Schrader said the driver, whose name was withheld, was conscious and transported by an ambulance to a local hospital. There were no passengers or other vehicles involved. Schrader said he did not believe driving conditions were a factor in the accident.
The charge from a fallen electrical line ignited a gasoline fire, which Schrader said had mostly burned out when Cambria firefighters arrived at the scene. The power line remained on top of the vehicle, Schrader said, but was determined to no longer have a charge. With the driver’s side of the vehicle in the ditch, Schrader said firefighters removed the back windshield to remove the driver.