'Lucky to walk away': Alleged impaired driver crashes into Saanich hydro pole

Saanich police say an alleged drunk driver is lucky to have escaped serious injury after they crashed into a hydro pole on Sunday afternoon.

Police were called to the collision around 4:20 p.m. Sunday in the 1000-block of Burnside Road West.

When officers arrived, the driver was found trapped in their vehicle with the utility pole collapsed overtop of the car.

First responders, including police and the Saanich Fire Department, took nearly two hours to safely remove the driver, since the utility pole was still attached to active power lines, creating an "extremely hazardous situation."

Once the driver was freed, police say they failed a roadside breath test. The driver was handed a 90-day driving ban and had their vehicle impounded, according to Saanich police.

"In looking at the photos from the scene it is quite obvious to see that the driver was lucky to walk away without serious injuries," said Saanich police Const. Markus Anastasiades in a release Monday.

"Not only did the pole land on the windshield of the truck, but several of the lines attached to the pole were energized with thousands of volts of electricity," he said. "A clear message on the inherent dangers and risks of operating a motor vehicle while impaired."