A popular thoroughfare in Indio remained closed for the second day Wednesday as crews continued working to replace a power pole damaged in a vehicle crash, with work slated to be completed by Wednesday afternoon.
A woman was seriously hurt when a Dodge Dart slammed into the pole at about 8:30 a.m. Tuesday on Monroe Street, just north of Highway 111, according to Indio Police Department spokesman Ben Guitron.
The driver of the Dart, described only as a man, ran away before police arrived at the scene. His passenger, whose name was not released, was taken to an area hospital for treatment of injuries described as serious, Guitron said.
Imperial Irrigation District crews were summoned to replace the damaged power pole, necessitating the closure of a short stretch of Monroe Street, between Highway 111 and Avenida Del Mar, to vehicle traffic.
IID spokesman Robert Schettler said Wednesday that the affected pole was particularly important, carrying two distribution circuits and one transmission circuit. Work was originally slated to be completed Tuesday evening, but crews required the used of specialized equipment, he said, which complicated the job.
“Our crews are working around the clock,” Schettler said. “They are not stopping.”
The crash initially knocked out power to 250 customers in the area for about 30 minutes, he said. No additional outages associated with the crash or subsequent pole replacement were expected, according to the utility.