Officials say car crash caused Memorial Day weekend power outage

Indio Water Authority crews on Tuesday worked to repair the damaged fire hydrant.

A single-vehicle car crash on Sunday afternoon caused a fire hydrant to burst, which knocked out the power to more than 8,000 customers in Indio and La Quinta.

Indio Police say a 33-year-old man driving eastbound on Avenue 48 in Indio veered off the road and hit a fire hydrant located between Hjorth Street and Calle Diamante.

“The fire hydrant that was hit sheared off and flooded the roadway,” Indio Police said in a statement.

The flooding impacted nearby power lines, causing a power outage for 8,568 customers that began around 12:30 p.m.

“Water from the damaged hydrant came into direct contact with high-voltage electrical lines, creating a safety issue that had to be addressed before IID crews could safely restore service to the remaining customers,” Moises Cardenas with Imperial Irrigation District said in a statement.

For the majority of affected customers, the outage lasted three hours. IID said their crews had to wait for Indio Water Authority to shut off the water before they could begin repairs, which delayed power restoration.

Residents online and on IID’s social media complained about the lack of communication, specifically that the utility’s online power outage map showed no estimated time of restoration.

After an hour, about 2,000 customers had power restored, while the remaining 6,000 had to wait another two hours for full power restoration. Customers can file a claim with IID if their food spoiled due to the outage, but on its website, IID maintains that it is not responsible for outages due to vehicle accidents.

Police said the driver was suspected of driving under the influence and the crash is under investigation pending toxicology results. The driver was treated for minor injuries and was cited and released.

To report an outage or request accommodations for a critical care medical device, residents can contact the Imperial Irrigation District at (760) 335-3640 or 1-800-303-7756. During a blackout, IID advises keeping refrigerator doors closed and turning off major appliances to prevent circuit overloads when 24-hour crews restore service.