Local News in Brief : 2 Hurt in Wreck That Caused Blackout

A young woman fell asleep at the wheel of her car and crashed into a power pole, leaving about 2,600 Simi Valley homes without electricity for nearly three hours Sunday morning, authorities said.

Power was knocked out within a 5-mile radius of the accident at Madera Road and Royal Avenue from 4:30 until 7:10 a.m., said Simi Valley Police Sgt. Neal Rein.

The outage occurred after Beverly Dukes, 19, of Simi Valley, fell asleep while driving south on Madera Road in dense fog about 4:30 a.m. and drifted off the road, hitting the power pole, Sgt. Rex Jones said. The impact broke the pole and knocked the top half onto the southbound lanes of Madera Road, Jones said.

Dukes suffered a broken ankle and cuts and was treated at Los Robles Hospital in Thousand Oaks. She was arrested on suspicion of felony drunk driving, Jones said. Because of her injuries, she remained at the hospital through Sunday and could not be charged, Jones said.

A passenger, Melissa Matthews, suffered two broken legs and numerous cuts. She also was treated at Los Robles Hospital and released Sunday, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Shortly after the accident, another driver, Renee Gerena, 17, of Thousand Oaks, crashed into the downed pole on Madera Road, Jones said. She suffered minor injuries.