A man crashed into a power pole in Lynnwood, Washington, causing it to collapse and burst into flames. According to police reports, the driver was distracted while attempting to light a cigarette and looking down at his phone behind the wheel. After putting multiple lives at risk, he faced widespread criticism from users online.
Fortunately, KOMO News reports that no one was injured in the accident, although many were understandably shaken by the driver’s apparent carelessness. LPD Officer Sorenson said the man had a suspended license, but at the time of the collision, he was cited only for inattentive driving. Sorenson added, “We just want people to have their eyes on the road. Just put the cell phone down. It’s not worth anybody’s life or a bad accident.”
Online Users Were Outraged by Both the Driver and the Officer Who Issued the Citation
Unsurprisingly, many people were outraged by the “distracted” driver’s actions. “I love that our solution for bad drivers is doing nothing to actually prevent them from continuing to drive,” one Redditor remarked, referring to the citation issued. “Could have easily killed someone with that telephone/light pole!” another exclaimed.
One commenter who was understandably shaken by the incident was Dudley Jackson, the husband of the woman driving the red car in front of the distracted motorist. In the shared dashcam footage, the red car was rear-ended moments before the driver veered off and crashed into the pole. “I am very fortunate that I did not lose my wife to this accident,” Jackson wrote on Facebook.
One Reddit user added that the police should also bear responsibility for allowing incidents like this to occur, citing the lack of serious consequences. “It’s no wonder people keep doing stupid stuff like this. He’s either a friend of the officer, or the officer was too lazy to do the paperwork,” they wrote.
According to Sorenson, the officer at the scene had discretion in determining which charges to file. However, KOMO News notes that the driver could still face additional charges later for driving with a suspended license or using a phone while behind the wheel.
