A major east-west thoroughfare in Smyrna has reopened following Monday night's spectacular crash that shut down the highway and blacked out about 10,000 power customers in the vicinity.
Smyrna police Officer Micheal E. Smith said Windy Hill Road reopened to traffic at 1:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Smith said traffic should be unaffected during the Tuesday morning commute.
The accident occurred at the height of the Monday evening rush hour near a QuikTrip gas station and an electrical power substation on Windy Hill near South Cobb Parkway (U.S. 41).
A witness to the crash, Kyle Swisher, told Channel 2 Action News, "I was two cars behind the guy. I saw him start swerving, hit the curb, jump up in the air (and) hit the power lines, and there were two big explosions.
“Power lines fell. I saw my life flash before my eyes — sparks flying everywhere,” Swisher said.
Georgia Power spokesman Mark Williams said a transmission pole was hit, damaging the pole and line. Power was cut off to thousands, as well as to traffic signals in Smyrna and south Marietta and nearby parts of unincorporated Cobb County.
Power was restored by shortly after 8 p.m., but Windy Hill remained closed between U.S. 41 and Village Parkway as utility crews worked on damaged lines late Monday night. Also, an AT&T crew was called in to remove fiber-optic lines from the roadway, Smith said.
Smyrna’s Selective Traffic Enforcement Program and Traffic Safety Unit were investigating the single-car accident, Smith said. The driver sustained minor injuries and declined to be transported to a hospital. No citations had been issued as of late Monday night.
"It's yet to be determined why the driver left the roadway and struck the pole. Speed and alcohol do not appear to be factors," Smith said in a phone interview with the AJC.
About the Author
