PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A Portland General Electric worker faces DUII charges after a utility truck slammed into a utility pole and knocked down wires in Washington County.
The crash on NW Glencoe Road and Zion Church Road happened around 9:30 p.m. Saturday, the sheriff’s office said. A caller told dispatchers a “large white utility truck” hit the pole, downed the wires and took off westbound.
When deputies got to the scene they found a “fluid trail” the truck left and they followed it directly to the scene of a crash at SW Patton Valley and Dundee just before 10 p.m.
The PGE truck was on its side in the ditch, officials said. The driver, Quenton Berger, initially told the deputies he lost control of his truck and swerved to avoid a crash before landing upside down in a ditch.
But the 32-year-old Hillsboro resident showed “signs of impairment,” officials said. Once Berger’s blood alcohol content was found to be twice the legal limit he was arrested for DUII.
Berger also faces a hit-and-run charge for the utility pole.
Authorities did not say whether Berger was injured in the crashes.
In a statement, PGE spokesperson Drew Hanson said, “We are aware of the situation and are proceeding with an internal investigation.”