By Linda Taaffe

Hundreds of Los Altos residents lost power after a high school student lost control of her Ford truck and sheared the base of a power pole on the 100 block of Almond Avenue near Frederick Court last Tuesday morning.

The crash brought residents from nearby homes out into the street to see the power pole leaning against another pole that appeared to have temporarily blocked it from falling.

Police closed down that portion of the road and rerouted traffic from 11:15 a.m. until about 1:30 p.m. as a PG&E crew replaced the pole.

Crews were on the scene for about eight hours, said PG&E spokesman Jeff Smith.

He said 437 residents lost power. Of those, 248 regained power by 2 p.m. The remaining 189 did not have power reinstated until 7:45 p.m.

Los Altos Police Sgt. John Hughmanick said the student apparently screeched out of the Los Altos High School parking lot, skidded across the road, over a mailbox, and hit the pole at a “speed significantly higher than the posted limit,” according to estimates from an accident skid analysis.

The driver was cited for reckless driving and released.

Hughmanick said the accident occurred on the teen’s 18th birthday.

Had it occurred the previous day, when she was 17, the Department of Motor Vehicles could have temporarily suspended the minor’s provisional driver’s license.

The teen suffered no injuries, Hughmanick said.