Pole Snapped In Weymouth Crash: Stoughton Man Charged, Woman Hurt

WEYMOUTH, MA — A Stoughton man was arrested after police said, while he was driving drunk, he snapped a utility pole, going more than twice the speed limit and left his passenger seriously injured.

Weymouth Police said Laurindo Henriques, 60 drove his Chevrolet Equinox at roughly 70 mph on Middle Street before he losing control of the SUV. The speed limit for Middle Street is 30 mph.

The utility pole at the corner of Essex and Lake street was snapped in half. Police said the crash knocked out electrical wires, and shutdown power for the traffic lights at the intersection.

"The upper half of the pole remained suspended and the lower half was broken in half,” police told Wicked Local.

The woman riding in Henriques's passenger seat was rushed to South Shore Hospital with serious injuries.

When police were trying to address the knocked out street lights, firefighters tried helping Henriques, but police said he acted belligerently, put first responders in dangerous situations, and refused to put his hands behind his back when police tried to handcuff him.

Police said an almost empty nip of Fireball liquor was found in the car.

Henriques was charged with his second operating under the influence of alcohol charge, negligent operation of a motor vehicle and causing serious injury, having an open container of alcohol in the car, committing a marked lanes violation, driving at speeds greater than was reasonable, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest.

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