Driver hits power pole then house on Ribaut Road

A 19-year-old driver struck a power pole and then a Ribaut Road home in Beaufort just after midnight on Sunday.

Power lines were down across the roadway, and Ribaut Road was closed to traffic between Reynolds Street and Hermitage Road until the area was cleared, said Lt. Ross Vezin, of the City of Beaufort/Town of Port Royal Fire Department. All lanes were open by 2 p.m.

The driver was taken to Beaufort Memorial Hospital, Vezin said. Her injuries were unknown. There was no suspicion of her driving impaired, but the crash could have been a result of a medical emergency, he said, though the cause was still unconfirmed.

Surrounding homes lost power when the driver and sole occupant of the car ran into the power pole, drove through a wooded area and then hit the front porch of a residence in the 800 block of Ribaut Road, according to Vezin. The pole broke in two, causing live wires to lie exposed over the roadway. Power was restored by about 8:30 a.m. Sunday, he said.

This story was originally published July 31, 2016 at 3:01 PM with the headline "Driver hits power pole then house on Ribaut Road."