Crash damages utility pole; woman taken to hospital

Two women were involved in a motor vehicle accident about 4 p.m. Tuesday that caused one vehicle to spin 180 degrees and strike a utility pole, breaking it in half, and sending one driver to a hospital.

A gray Cadillac sedan was going east on William Street when it was struck by a GMC Denali headed north on Lorimier Street after it briefly stopped at William. The Cadillac was the vehicle that struck the telephone pole.

A middle-aged woman who drove the Cadillac was lifted by firefighters out of the vehicle and onto a stretcher and placed in a Cape Girardeau County ambulance. Cape Girardeau Police Cpl. JP Jurgens said the woman was taken to a hospital, although he would not say which one. Jurgens also was unaware of the extent of her injuries, although she was conscious and able to move her arms before being put into the ambulance.

Frank Allen was playing basketball nearby and saw the accident, which he said seemed to happen slowly.

"She had to not be looking at all," Allen said of the driver of the GMC. "It didn't look like it would be that bad."

Tay Bender's Mercury Sabre was parked on William and was pushed east by the Cadillac, sustaining damage to the rear of the vehicle. The entire driver's side of the Cadillac was crumpled.

Bender said there was another accident at the intersection Tuesday morning.

"Everybody thinks it's a four-way stop," Bender said. "People go really fast on this street (pointing to William), especially at night."

The driver of the GMC, who was uninjured, walked up to police to give her information. The GMC appeared to have minimal damage, with black streaks on the front bumper. Jurgens declined to give the name of either driver. He said police were investigating, but summonses could be issued later.

bkleine@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3644

Pertinent address:

William Street and Lorimier Street, Cape Girardeau, Mo.