PORT ANGELES — A shoulder harness seat belt and air bags saved a life this week when a car hit a power pole so hard it was severed, said the chief of Clallam County Fire District No. 2 on Wednesday.
Firefighters and paramedics estimate that the Volkswagen Jetta driven by Tristan Juarez, 18, of Port Angeles was traveling at about 45 mph in the 1400 block of Dan Kelly Road when it struck the pole Tuesday morning.
The car was so crumpled that emergency responders expected to find an occupant with serious injuries.
Instead, Juarez walked away from the wreck and went home with his parents, Chief Sam Phillips said.
“This kid, if he hadn’t worn his safety harness and had the air bags, he probably would have been through the windshield,” Phillips said.
“It is what saved his life.”
Workers with the Clallam County Public Utility District were called to the scene of the wreck because the damage to the power pole was severe that firefighters were concerned power lines could collapse once the vehicle was removed, Phillips said.
Two customers briefly lost power while crews replaced the pole, PUD spokesman Mike Howe said.
Juarez hit the pole after losing control of his car and running off the side of the road, according to authorities.
Clallam County sheriff’s deputies investigated the wreck and found that Juarez had been traveling eastbound on Dan Kelly Road about 10 mph over the posted speed limit of 35 mph when he lost control after attempting to do something with his car stereo, said Brian King, sheriff’s chief criminal deputy.
Charges for excessive speed and inattentive driving are pending, King said.
“It was not of a reckless nature,” he said.
He said there were no drugs or alcohol involved in the wreck.
The car was destroyed, authorities said.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arice@peninsuladailynews.com.
