At approximately 8:20 am Saturday, Seattle Police began receiving 911 calls of an explosion possibly involving a transformer in North Seattle. Additional callers stated that there was a collision involving a vehicle and a power pole at NE 125th and 5th Avenue NE, and that several homes were now without power. Seattle Police responded to the collision scene. A male driver was travelling northbound on 5th Avenue NE when he attempted to turn eastbound on NE 125th. The driver made an extremely wide turn and collided with the stabilizing wire attached to a power pole. The driver was not injured. The impact of the collision broke the pole in half. The power lines attached to the pole run across both the northbound and southbound lanes of Interstate 5. The energized power lines fell across both lanes of I-5, causing the shutdown of the freeway.
Washington State Patrol and the Seattle Fire Department responded to at least one collision on I-5, and Seattle City Light crews worked to shut off power to the still active power lines. After about two and a half hours, I-5 was reopened.
The driver did not exhibit any signs of impairment, however, he will be cited for negligent driving. Seattle Police continue to work with the Washington State Patrol on this incident.