Authorities are investigating the whereabouts of the driver of a red 2002 Subaru Outback who abandoned the car and fled after striking an electric pole on a steep road in Inverness, knocking out power for over 1,200 households and businesses in West Marin late Monday night.
The driver bashed the pole—set on the edge of the winding Drakes View Drive just off Sir Francis Drake Boulevard— just before 11 p.m. The wreck caused outages to almost 1,000 customers in Inverness and 225 in Point Reyes Station. Power was restored to most customers around midnight, with the remaining outages restored just before noon on Tuesday, according to Pacific Gas & Electric spokeswoman Brandi Merlo.
PG&E replaced the pole, a transformer, one span of primary wires and two cross arms. The incident is being investigated by California Highway Patrol as a hit-and-run collision, which carries possible misdemeanor charges with a maximum jail sentence of six months and a maximum fine of $1,000.
The driver and the vehicle’s registered owner were still being sought on Wednesday, said Officer Andrew Barclay, a highway patrol spokesman. He declined to identify the registered owner of the car, but noted that the person is not a resident of Marin County. C.H.P. is still unsure whether the driver and the registered owner are the same person.
Officers responding to a call of a traffic collision at 11:15 p.m. on Monday night found the vehicle abandoned and the driver unable to be located. The vehicle was towed and PG&E began repair work after highway patrol completed its investigation once PG&E had de-energized the lines. The downed pole and lines did not block the roadway and were repaired Tuesday.