Police found Kirwin near his abandoned 1999 Ford Expedition, which showed front-end damage, in the parking lot of Sandy Lane Apartments, according to police. Kirwin was not arrested, but was cited for leaving the lane of travel, and for leaving the scene of an accident resulting in damage to fixtures.
The pole had been snapped from its base, and was hanging by the power lines, when National Grid was called to make repairs.
Warwick, RI — A driver crashed their car into a pole on Sandy Lane this morning at about 8:30 a.m., knocking out power before fleeing the scene, where traffic began snarling and remains a challenge for motorists.
A driver in the area reported backed up traffic on Sandy Lane and Main Avenue at 11:45 a.m.
Police arrested the driver after finding the car unoccupied in the parking lot at Sandy Lane Apartments, according to scanner reports relayed by @EverettTrainer on Twitter.com. The first report of the crash came at 8:38 a.m.
Warwick Police confirmed the crash, which downed power lines, and finding the driver, but were not immediately able to provide more detail.
Warwick Police Lt. Michael Gilbert said traffic in the area is snarled due to the need to divert drivers around the crash scene. It was still affecting traffic as of 2:20 p.m.
National Grid responded to the scene to fix the pole and restore power. At 2 p.m., 29 customers were reported without power according to the utility’s power outage map. The map showed power restored to those customers at 2:02 p.m.
Darlene Masse, spokesperson for National Grid, said the crash, at the corner of Sandy Lane and Armory Drive, knocked out power to 587 people, but that everyone’s power was restored by noon. She said the call for the outage came at 8:33 a.m.
The Warwick public library lost power at about 9:10 a.m., said Director Chris LaRoux, but electricity was restored by about noon. The outage forced the library to delay its normal 9 a.m. opening until about 12:20 p.m., he said.
Author: Rob Borkowski
Rob has worked as reporter and editor for several publications, including The Kent County Daily Times and Coventry Courier, before working for Gatehouse in MA then moving home with Patch Media. Now he's publisher and editor of WarwickPost.com. Contact him at [email protected] with tips, press releases, advertising inquiries, and concerns.
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