Car crash knocks out some downtown traffic signals

The traffic lights to Yuma's Ocean-to-Ocean Bridge were out early Tuesday morning after a single-vehicle accident at a nearby intersection.

Sgt. Leanne Worthen, of the Yuma Police Department, said power was also out to the traffic lights at Redondo Center Drive and Giss Parkway.

Worthen said that at about 2:28 a.m., a gray 1989 Ford F-150 pickup was traveling southbound in the 100 block of South Gila Street when the driver lost control and struck a pole on the west side of the street.

The driver, identified as 26-year-old man, was cited for failure to control. He was transported to Yuma Regional Medical Center after complaining of shoulder pain.

Worthen said while drivers treated the intersection at Giss and Redondo as a four-way stop, officers conducted traffic control on the bridge until about 10 a.m., when power was restored.

According to APS spokesman Steven Gotfried, customers weren't affected by the power loss, saying power was off for less than a minute.

“It just tripped a switch. The power went out and came right back on.”

Gotfried explained that APS has redundancy in its power lines so if a power failure occurs, power can usually be routed to other lines so service isn't disrupted and work crews can repair the damage.

James Gilbert can be reached at jgilbert@yumasun.com or 539-6854. Find him on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/YSJamesGilbert or on Twitter @YSJamesGilbert.