Distraction or fatigue might have been factors in Manchester utility pole crash

A driver might have been distracted or fatigued when he struck a utility pole in Manchester Sunday morning, overturning and causing widespread outages, according to Township Police.

38-year-old David LeMay of Jackson escaped serious injury and was able to get out of the Chrysler Concorde without any assistance, said Captain Todd Malland in a news release. He sustained an arm injury, but refused medical attention at the scene.

The crash happened around 7:17 a.m., near Circle Drive in the Ridgeway section of Manchester. The impact resulted in the vehicle landing on its roof in the westbound shoulder of Route 571 and caused the airbags to deploy.

The pole was sheared from the bottom, which caused unsupported high voltage electrical wires to be suspended above the vehicle and crash scene, according to Malland.

The accident remains under investigation by Manchester Patrolman Ian Bole, but Malland said LeMay may have been distracted or fatigued.