Two drivers have been arrested after a collision on Montreal’s South Shore caused an electrical pylon to collapse, cutting power to 88,000 Hydro-Quebec customers.
Late Sunday evening, Longueuil police (SPAL) confirmed that the drivers of the bus from the Association of Auxiliary Firefighters of Montérégie (APAM) and the driver of the car involved in the accident were arrested.
The driver of the APAM bus, a man in his 60s, faces charges of dangerous driving causing injury.
The driver of the car is accused of impaired driving. His age, not been made public Monday morning.
Sur les 87 000 clients touchés hier soir par cette panne, il en reste présentement moins de 200, de manière localisée. Des équipes sont assignées à celles-ci. https://t.co/plE5gstHgE
— Hydro-Québec (@hydroquebec) July 7, 2024
For the moment, the only details known are that around 9:45 p.m. on Saturday, the APAM bus left the road and came into contact with the electricity pylon, causing it to fall. The accident occurred at the intersection of Chambly Road and the viaduct leading to Highway 30.
“Now, as for the other details, the investigation continues its course and we will eventually determine the chronology of events based on the testimonies and evidence collected,” said Ghyslain Vallières, spokesperson for the SPAL.
Three people were injured in the accident, namely two people on board the bus and one who was in the car.
At the height of the event, 88,000 Hydro-Québec customers were deprived of power due to the collapse of the pylon. Monday morning, electricity was back to all households affected by this outage.
However, the situation caused many inconveniences on Sunday. In particular, SPAL had to ask people affected by the outages to stop calling 911 for information on the restoration of power.
The collapsed pylon will have to be completely rebuilt, but this will have no impact on service, Hydro-Québec assured, which still qualified this situation as an event of “exceptional nature”.
In a press release, APAM confirmed that one of its vehicles was involved in the event, but did not want to say more due to the ongoing police investigation, in which it claims to collaborate fully.
“APAM is sincerely sorry for the inconvenience caused following this accident and our thoughts are with those involved in wishing them a speedy recovery,” the association wrote.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews