National City

WATCH: Driver Crashes Into Utility Pole, Car Gets Tangled in Charged Wires

As of 4 p.m., more than 1,200 were still without power. Complete restoration was expected by 1 a.m. Wednesday.

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More than 5,000 people in and around Paradise Hills were left without power Tuesday after a car crashed into a pole and knocked down live wires.

SkyRanger 7 flew over the scene of the crash on Beatrice Street near Parkside Avenue. The car came to rest upside down and electrical wires were draped over the undercarriage. Firefighters had to wait for the power lines to be cleared before they could pull a passenger out of the wrecked vehicle.

The power outage impacted residents and businesses in Paradise Hills, Skyline, Bay Terraces and National City, according to SDG&E. Restoration was first expected at 5:30 p.m., but the utility pushed that time back to 1 a.m.

Neighbors say this isn't the first crash in the area, and police confirmed that fact.

The power pole knocked down in Tuesday's crash was knocked down once before.

Another crash at Morton Way and Parkside Avenue in 2017 sent a hit-and-run driver through a neighbor's fence and into their home while, narrowly missing sleeping residents.

"They put stop signs down this way, they put stop signs down that way, it still doesn't stop them from going over the speed limit," crash witness Thomas Scholey said.

Then in December of 2018, a truck plowed through a retaining wall on Parkside Avenue and hit two cars.

"I actually know someone who lives down the street who had their call totaled while they were parked there," neighbor Bryant Scruggs said.

Police said the driver in Tuesday's crash had just gotten off of a long shift at work and had a medical emergency behind the wheel. His injuries were not life-threatening, according to police.

Check back for updates to this breaking news story.

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