Power restored after crash on east Mountain

A 65-year-old man is facing a careless driving charge after a crash that took out a hydro pole on Fennell Avenue East, causing just over 800 homes to lose power for hours overnight and into Tuesday morning.

The outage affected the area of Fennell, Upper Gage Avenue and Mountain Brow Boulevard and lasted more than 15 hours. Alectra Utilities said on Twitter that power was restored around 8 a.m. However, lights remained out in some spots and crews continued to work in the area.

The last remaining transformer was energized" by 10:20 a.m., said Alectra spokesperson Ashley Trgachef. Traffic lights were confirmed to be working.

Emergency services were called to Fennell and East 45th Street shortly after 5 p.m. Monday after the driver of a westbound Dodge Journey SUV lost control, crossed four lanes of traffic, and hit a hydro pole and a parked vehicle, said Hamilton police Const. Indy Bharaj.

The driver, a 65-year-old man, suffered minor injuries and was charged with careless driving.

The power outage affected traffic signals in the area, so police remained on scene overnight and into the morning assisting with traffic.

Nicole O'Reilly is a crime and justice reporter at The Spectator. noreilly@thespec.com