Local

'People go too fast': Van crashes into power pole, blocking road for hours

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Ashley Road in west Charlotte was closed for hours after a driver hit a power pole overnight.

The crash happened around 2:30 a.m. between Alleghany and Liggett streets.

Fortunately, the driver walked away with minor injuries, but Duke Energy had to cut off power to nine homes while crews replaced the utility pole.

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“People go too fast, they always lose it on that curve,” said Jennifer Noch.

She was sleeping when the driver crashed into the pole just feet from her front yard. The longtime Charlotte resident said waking up to the sounds of cars crashing in the middle of the night is so common that it’s her new normal after living in the neighborhood for nearly seven years.

“So many wrecks, and I don’t know why,” Noch told Channel 9. “I don’t know what the reason is.”

Noch even took a destroyed tree that another driver ran into and cut it up to place in her front yard, but even then, someone crashed into that.

“I put them out front in my yard because they (drivers) do lose it right there, so they’re like barriers,” Noch said.

Channel 9 found there have been nearly 40 crashes in this area in just the last five years. In the last two years, Channel 9 reported on six significant wrecks, three of which involved a utility pole.

“I just feel like that wouldn’t happen in other parts of town,” Noch said.

She wishes drivers would slow down and police would step up their patrols.

“What’s scary about it, honestly, is that there’s a ton of foot traffic here,” Noch said. “A lot of people walk here -- people walking with babies and kids going to school, and it dangerous.”

The city of Charlotte said it’s already looking at plans to expand the nearby sidewalks.

Police have not said what led to the crash Thursday morning or if the driver will face any charges.

Check back with wsoctv.com for updates.