Late night crash cuts power to downtown Kenansville

A collision with a power pole left parts of the business district without electricity for hours

KENANSVILLE — A traffic accident just before midnight on Jan. 8 left much of the downtown Kenansville area in the dark for hours. Kenansville Police Chief Jackie Benton told Duplin Journal the accident occurred when a vehicle struck a power pole not far from the Duplin County Courthouse along N.C. Highway 11. The car struck the pole hard enough to cause the lines crossing the highway to bring down another pole across the street.

Power crews worked throughout the night to repair the damage and were able to restore power to some parts of town around 5 a.m. the following morning. However, some areas, including the business district that includes McDonald’s and CVS Pharmacy, did not have power restored until after noon.

Roxie Dobson, a manager with the Kenansville McDonald’s said in an interview with Duplin Journal that they did not have power restored until around 12:10 p.m. Dobson said this meant the restaurant was unable to open and serve breakfast to customers and was unable to open for lunch until after the power was restored and staff were able to prepare the restaurant for opening.

Chief Benton said the 32-year-old driver of the car involved in the accident was charged with driving while impaired. The driver is an employee of the ABC Store in Kenansville.