Hundreds of households across the Far North went without power yesterday after a car hit a power pole on Okaihau Hill.
The accident, just after 7am, left the broken pole resting on top of the Toyota Corolla and live high-voltage lines hanging at head height over one lane of State Highway 1.
Okaihau fire chief Andrew Graham said the driver, a young man, was uninjured but stayed in the car for about 20 minutes until firefighters could assure him the lines were no longer live.
![The driver was unhurt but unable to get out of the car due to live power lines.](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/TQ4NVON5COVMCKDDJBWVF2CIAM.jpg?auth=8593d02310c91f8be74a40128ec36cb0cad1a970c772456eef11284e89bb0cf5&width=16&height=12&quality=70&smart=true)
The brigade stayed at the scene for two hours, controlling traffic and keeping people away from the wires, until lines company Top Energy was able to take over.