By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great local journalism.
Crash knocks out power to about 500 in west Forsyth
Pole
A crew from Sawnee EMC works to restore power to an area of west Forsyth after a single-vehicle wreck took out a utility pole.

WEST FORSYTH – A single-vehicle wreck affected the area of Campground and Dickerson roads for several hours Tuesday.

Crews worked to repair power lines after a Dodge Ram pickup truck left the road and crashed into a utility pole at the west Forsyth crossing just before 1 p.m.

A Forsyth County Sheriff’s deputy on scene said the male driver left the road and struck the pole before attempting to flee.

An incident report stated a witness saw the vehicle, traveling at a “high rate of speed,” hit a road sign on Campground before reaching Dickerson.

The driver then reportedly “gathered some items” from the truck and fled north on Campground. The man was described as wearing pajamas.

A short time later, deputies took Jared Lively, 27, into custody and brought him to Northside Hospital-Forsyth for treatment of unknown injuries.

He was charged with driving under the influence, driving with a suspended license and failure to maintain lane. He remains at the Forsyth County Detention Center, where his $7,200 bond was placed on hold by Milton police.

About 1: 45 p.m., the sheriff’s office agency asked residents through social media to avoid the area.

Cindy Badgett, spokeswoman for Sawnee EMC, said about 500 homes lost power from the crash, though service was restored before 3:30 p.m.

Sawnee arrived at the scene about 1:30 p.m., said Blake House, vice president of member services.

When a pole like this goes down, he said, everything “downstream” of a protective device from the circuit feeder loses power.

He said this number of homes on one circuit is typical in an area of such density. That number may have doubled in Alpharetta or Roswell.

Repair work was easier than during last week’s winter storm, he said.

“This is not below freezing, it’s not windy and it’s not dark,” House said.