Pole falls on home with woman inside

Truck crashes into power pole, causing it to topple onto Hollywood woman's home

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – A garbage truck hit a power pole Monday morning, knocking it over on top of a home, police said.

The Hollywood Police Department alerted residents of possible power outages near Harrison Street and A1A where the accident took place.

"I heard the beeping for the truck backing up, it sounded like the truck was coming through the house and the whole house shook," Donna Spoerl said.

The pole landed directly on Spoerl's house while she was inside.

"I jumped up, grabbed the dog and ran out of the front door," she said.

In addition to structural damage to the home of Spoerl, the pole and power lines created smoke and sparks due to rising flood waters in the street, witnesses said.

Florida Power & Light was called to the scene to restore power to those affected.

As of Monday night, workers were trying to restore power to a parking garage across the street from the home. 

Spoerl told Local 10 News reporter Sanela Sabovic she is waiting to go inside her home, but cannot do so until it's examined by a city inspector. 

In the meantime, she's staying at a hotel across the street. 

No injuries were reported. The accident is still under investigation. 


About the Authors:

Andrew Perez is a South Florida native who joined the Local 10 News team in May 2014.

Sanela Sabovic joined Local 10 News in September 2012 as an assignment editor and associate producer. In August 2015, she became a full-time reporter and fill-in traffic reporter. Sanela holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications with a concentration in radio, television and film from DePaul University.