A vehicle crashed into a utility pole at the intersection of New Britain Avenue and South Main Street in West Hartford Wednesday night.

By Ronni Newton

A busy intersection was closed to traffic Wednesday night and more than 1,200 customers lost power on the evening before Thanksgiving following a single car crash into a utility pole.

The rollover crash, at the intersection of South Main Street and New Britain Avenue, happened shortly before 9 p.m.

According to Sgt. Aaron Vafiades, a vehicle headed southbound on South Main Street struck the utility pole at the southwest corner of the intersection of South Main Street and New Britain Avenue.

Vafiades said that a male was the sole occupant of the vehicle, but he did not have any further details. The man was extracted from the vehicle by the fire department and transported to an area hospital.

“When we arrived there was a small fire in the vehicle,” Vafiades said. Police tried to put the small fire out before the fire department arrived on the scene.

The extent of the man’s injuries were not known but Vafiades said they appeared to be minor and that the man was talking to emergency personnel.

Power flickered throughout West Hartford when the vehicle struck the utility pole, even at the police station more than two miles away.

As many as 1,281 customers completely lost power initially, but by 10 p.m. that number had been reduced to 43 as Eversource arrived on the scene quickly and worked to restore power on an evening when many residents were busily preparing for Thursday’s Thanksgiving feasts.

The splintered pole and parts of the vehicle were scattered in the road, and Vafiades thought the intersection would likely be closed for several hours.

Extra police units are patrolling Wednesday night for “drinking and driving enforcement,” Vafiades said.

A single car hit a utility pole and flipped over on South Main Street just south of New Britain Avenue in West Hartford. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Power lines and pieces of the vehicle are scattered across South Main Street just south of New Britain Avenue in West Hartford. Photo credit: Ronni Newton