Lakeport >> It was lights out for parts of Kelseyville Monday morning after a tired mother fell asleep at the wheel and crashed her vehicle into a utility pole. The pole then fell across both lanes of traffic.
Driver Angela Kania dropped off her children at school shortly before 8 a.m. As she was driving her black 2002 Ford Explorer down Konocti Road, Kania dozed off, drifted off the north roadway edge and struck the power pole just west of Cole Creek, Officer Kory Reynolds of the California Highway Patrol (CHP), said. There was a 10-month-old baby inside who was uninjured in the crash, and the Kania, 30, sustained only minor injuries.
Both the driver and baby were wearing seat belts and appropriate restraints.
Investigators are unsure what rate of speed the SUV was traveling, but the force of the crash was strong enough that it snapped the pole at its base, causing it to fall across both lanes of traffic and damaging at least one other pole.
A power outage lasted for about 30 minutes, affecting the surrounding area including schools and the CHP, Clear Lake area station at the intersection of Live Oak Drive and Highway 29, Reynolds said.
Konocti Road was blocked for most of the day as crews from Pacific Gas & Electric and AT&T worked to repair the damaged power lines, restore services and clear the roadway, Reynolds said. Kelseyville Fire Protection District medical personnel also responded to the scene.
Neither drugs nor alcohol appear to have been a factor in the crash, which is still under investigation by Officer Greg Buchholz Reynolds said.
