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Victoria police impound semi-truck after driver shears hydro pole in Esquimalt

Police seize driver’s licence, impound truck on impaired charges
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Police say the semi-truck driver who struck a hydro pole in Esquimalt Tuesday night was impaired. (Courtesy of Tatum Hinch)

An apparent impaired semi-truck driver drove into an Esquimalt hydro pole Tuesday night and still didn’t take his foot off the gas.

Around 9 p.m. a Victoria police officer was patrolling in Esquimalt when a semi-truck being driven in front of him collided with a hydro power pole at the Admirals and Esquimalt roads intersection. The truck – carrying 60-foot piling – sheared the pole and left it hanging by its tension wires. But even after striking the pole, the driver didn’t stop the truck.

The officer who witnessed the collision called in additional officers and stopped the truck driver. While one officer approached the driver, a witness approached another officer, handing him a brown paper bag with partially consumed alcohol inside. The witness said the truck driver had thrown the bag from his window after hitting the pole.

Police found the truck driver to be impaired and issued a driving prohibition, and a 90-day impound of the vehicle. The driver’s license was seized and he was issued tickets for driving without due care and attention and failing to remain at the scene of a collision.

The intersection was closed overnight while Esquimalt and BC Hydro crews repaired the damaged pole. Police say morning traffic was also impacted as repairs were ongoing.

READ ALSO: No one injured in Quadra Street T-bone collision involving impaired driver


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