BRAD HORN/Nevada Appeal Utility workers repair a power pole at the corner of Roop Street and Winnie Lane after an accident involving a truck on Monday morning.
A Sparks man escaped injury Monday morning, despite losing consciousness while driving on Winnie Lane and slamming into a utility pole, severing it at its base.
"It's a miracle that he didn't receive any scratches and wasn't complaining of any injuries," said Sgt. Ken Sandage of the Carson City Sheriff's Department.
Timothy Peterson, 49, told police he was eastbound on Winnie Lane about 9:57 a.m. when he began to feel a pain in his hip.
"He was contemplating whether he should pull over to the side of the road or not and that's where he collided with the utility pole. Apparently he lost consciousness prior to impact," Sandage said.
Peterson's 2003 Dodge Dakota slammed dead center into the pole at the corner of Winnie Lane and Roop Street. Sandage said the truck traveled without breaking through the intersection, slammed into a dirt embankment near Lone Mountain Cemetery, then rolled backwards to a stop with the rear of the truck against the hill.
Peterson exited his vehicle and was kneeling beside it when an off-duty Carson-Tahoe Hospital nurse came to his aid.
"He was still in a dazed state when we were talking to him, but he did not receive one scratch," Sandage said. Peterson was taken to Carson-Tahoe Hospital as a precaution.
Sandage said drugs or alcohol do not appear to be a factor in the crash.
No power was lost to any homes, despite the damage to the utility pole.
n Contact reporter F.T. Norton at ftnorton@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1213.