Big Rig Crash And Downed Power Lines Shut Down PCH

PACIFIC PALISADES, CA —A big rig crash in knocked down power lines, forcing the hours-long closure of Pacific Coast Highway between Sunset Boulevard and Temescal Canyon Road in Pacific Palisades Thursday afternoon.

PCH reopened by about 5:30 p.m. after being closed for about four hours. Crews from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power arrived on scene to find two occupants of a big rig trapped inside the truck, which had just clipped a power line, according to LADWP spokeswoman Mia Rose Wong.

Workers determined the line was still energized, and one crew member stayed with the truck occupants to make sure they remained safely inside the vehicle while the remaining crew went to de-energize the wire.

The occupants were eventually able to escape the truck unharmed, Wong said.

Power was out in the neighborhood briefly, but was quickly restored to residents, with just one nearby pumping plant and the lights in the beach parking lot across the street still blacked out.

City News Service and Patch staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report. Photo: Shutterstock