CANTON TWP., Mich. (WXYZ) — A brand-new utility pole is now in place along South Ridge Road in Canton Township after a crash left the previous one split in half for months.
Watch Tony Geftos' video report:
It happened at 3:36 p.m. on Friday, April 17, when an SUV veered into a ditch, jumped a driveway, and smashed through a utility pole. A doorbell camera captured the crash, which sent neighbors running outside to help.
RAW VIDEO: Home surveillance video shows crash
Mike Mechal, who lives nearby, took pictures of the damage and watched the crash unfold.
"He came through the pole, started to roll, hit the hydrant, ripped the door off and then ended up on the other side of that pole," Mechal said.
Mechal says the driver of the SUV, the lone occupant, walked away from the wreck, but the damage to the utility pole remained.
"DTE came out 'cause there was a power line down. DTE cut their power line off, took it back to the pole, and then cut the top section of the pole out, and cut that section of the pole out down to the broken spot," Mechal said.
Part of the pole that snapped remained sticking out of the ground. Another part was left hanging from wires clearly marked AT&T.
"AT&T has been out here a couple times, and they're claiming it's not their pole," Mechal said.
Mechal says he also contacted AT&T, but the broken pole remained. After months of getting the runaround, he reached out to 7 News Detroit for help.
"Yeah, after the runaround since April between my neighbor and myself trying to deal with it and everybody just throwing their hands up, doing this, I called you," Mechal said.
After 7 News Detroit's Tony Geftos left several messages for DTE, the company called back. Within hours, DTE replaced the pole and reattached the wires.
"For three months, we've been trying to get this taken care of. Three hours is what it took for them to show up and start working on this thing," Mechal said.
DTE Energy provided this statement:
We understand the delay in removing the pole has been frustrating for this customer. Utility poles often carry not only electric lines, but also cable, internet, and phone lines. While DTE is responsible for moving electric equipment, telecommunications providers are responsible for relocating their own lines. As a courtesy, we transferred the telecommunications lines so the old pole could be removed and the issue resolved more quickly for our customer.
"But the biggest headache is gone. So, again, I can't thank you enough. Three hours. Just amazing to me," Mechal said.
If you have an issue in Canton, Westland, Wayne, Redford, Garden City or Inkster, email Tony.Geftos@wxyz.com.
