The driver of a small SUV that hit a utility pole on Thursday afternoon and flipped over, only to land upright again on Freeport Road in East Deer, was taken to a Pittsburgh hospital for treatment.
The crash caused one lane to close and a backup during rush hour.
A 70-year-old man from Tarentum was traveling northbound on Freeport Road when he crashed into a utility pole and was transported to a trauma center, according to Sgt. Craig Cummings of the Allegheny Valley Regional Police Department. He did not identify the man by name.
“It was a single-vehicle crash,” Cummings said. ‘We believe the accident was caused by a mechanical problem, but we are not doing a full crash evaluation.”
Cummings said the car hit the utility pole, flipped and landed in the middle of the road upright. Glass shards were on the grassy area near the road, and much of the front left side of the vehicle was pushed in.
A bystander called 911 immediately, and Cummings, along with Eureka Fire Rescue EMS and the Frazer and East Deer fire departments, responded.
“We were able to respond in about five minutes of the call,” Cummings said.
Cummings said the man was taken to a Pittsburgh hospital.
“We do tend to see a few crashes on this road, especially after 3 p.m.,” Cummings said.
One bystander, who did not want to give her name, saw the vehicle flip over while she was on her way to a doctor’s appointment.
“It happened so fast,” she said. She missed her doctor’s appointment because of the traffic backup. She said she was just glad the driver is OK.