Driver Injured in Crash After Dropping Cigarette
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A driver’s attempt to recover his dropped cigarette resulted in a crash into a power pole Sunday afternoon, police reported.
The driver, Jacinto S. Smith, 30, of Costa Mesa was taken to Fountain Valley Regional Hospital with chest and possible internal injuries after his car struck the pole on 19th Street near Meyer Place at about 2 p.m. Officers at the scene said there were no passengers in the car and no other vehicles involved.
Traffic Officer John Smith said the driver was eastbound on 19th Street at the time of the accident and was driving about 35 m.p.h., the posted speed limit.
“The car driver dropped the cigarette into his lap,” said Officer Vernon Hupp. “He bent down to pick it up, and when he looked up, there was the power pole.”
The car was heavily damaged, but the power pole remained intact and no power outage resulted, officers said.
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