MOORPARK : Crash Causes Power Outage, Closes 118

A Simi Valley man suspected of drunk driving knocked over two 75-foot-tall power poles on California 118 early Friday, cutting off electricity to 2,100 customers in Moorpark, officials said.

The two-lane state route also closed for the day because of the high-energy lines lying on the road, authorities said.

Grant Harrison, 27, was taken to Simi Valley Adventist Hospital and arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, sheriff’s deputies said.

Harrison was transferred to Kaiser Foundation Hospital in Woodland Hills, where he was listed in fair condition.

Harrison was driving on California 118 east of Princeton Avenue at 1:35 a.m. when he hit one of the poles, Deputy George Fitzgerald said. Another pole connected by electrical wires was pulled down, he said. It took Ventura County firefighters more than two hours to extricate Harrison because live power lines dangled within three feet of his vehicle, a department spokeswoman said.

Electricity was restored to all but 88 customers by 5:15 a.m. Friday, and the rest by 10:15 a.m., Southern California Edison officials said.

California 118 reopened at 9 p.m. Friday, authorities said. Officials said there was some backup of traffic during the morning commute but that overall traffic was moving smoothly as motorists were diverted onto Campus Park Drive.