East Main wreck causes power outage

A portion of Blytheville lost power Thursday afternoon following a wreck on East Main Street about 1:30 in the afternoon.

Witnesses say the driver of a Dodge Nitro was headed west on Main Street in the inside lane, when the vehicle rear-ended a Dodge Ram, causing the Nitro to cross lanes and jump the curb, hitting an electrical pole, snapping the pole in half.

Damages for the Dodge Ram truck were fairly minor, according to the Blytheville Police Department and are estimated at $3,000, while damages for the Nitro, which were much more severe, have been estimated at $12,000.

No serious injuries were reported for either of the drivers.

Residents in the area were out of power until later that evening, according to Jason Glass, associate engineer for Entergy. Glass said damages to Entergy property are estimated at nearly $3,500, bringing the total cost of the accident to $18,500.

The only citation issued was on the driver of the Nitro for following to closely.

Blytheville police decline to release the names of the drivers by presstime.

cpinkard@blythevillecourier.com