A two-vehicle collision Friday in Lake Elsinore injured two people and snapped a power pole, flinging electrical lines across a major roadway that authorities immediately shut down.
The crash occurred at 10:30 a.m. Friday on Grand Avenue near Richard Lane, according to the Riverside County Fire Department and California Highway Patrol.
The latter agency said that the two vehicles impacted, and one of them veered straight into the SoCal Edison pole, which broke at its base, causing the electrical lines to collapse across Grand, a north-south artery through Lake Elsinore and Lakeland Village.
The motorist who hit the pole reportedly fled on foot.
CHP officers and sheriff’s deputies closed both sides of Grand for public safety. SCE said only a few properties were affected by the ensuing electrical outage.
Paramedics found occupants of the second vehicle suffering minor injuries. They were not identified. Both were taken to nearby Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar for treatment, according to reports from the scene.
The CHP was handling the investigation. Officers and deputies were searching for the missing driver.
SCE technicians were expected to reach the location to start repairs by noon.