Driver of Toyota Echo that crashed into Edmonton power pole to be charged

A driver who dramatically crashed a car into a power pole on Sunday night is expected to be charged by police after his discharge from Cairns Hospital.

A white car crashed on the corner of Hambledon Dr and Quinn Dr in Bentley Park on Sunday night. Picture: Supplied

A driver who dramatically crashed a car into a power pole on Sunday night is expected to be charged by police after discharge from Cairns Hospital.

Emergency services were called to the corner of Hambledon Dr and Quinn Dr in Edmonton at 8.24pm after a 1999 model Toyota Echo lost control and smashed into a power pole.

A pair of Queensland Fire Department crews attended the scene and used the pneumatic cutting equipment to remove the roof of the vehicle and free the driver.

“Looks like the car rolled and the road was closed and the power pole was on the road for a little while,” a Queensland Police Service spokeswoman said.

Queensland Ambulance Service confirmed the man was taken to hospital after the crash in a stable condition.

Police are investigating the single vehicle crash and the 49-year-old Tully man who was taken to hospital with minor injuries is currently assisting them with their enquiries.

The crash comes as the Queensland Police Service launches a statewide road safety blitz.

Following a horror start to the year on the roads during which 17 lives have been lost in less than 20 days, police have urged every road user to re-evaluate their driving behaviour.

Despite consistent and targeted police action, the start of 2025 has seen 17 people lose their lives on Queensland roads so far this year.

Though no lives have been lost on Far North roads this year 31 people were killed in road crashes in 2024 on local roads.

Responding to the deadliest start to the year (statewide) since 2020, Operation Mistletoe has deployed officers right across Queensland on high visibility road safety operations with the aim of reducing the lives lost.

In November Daimon Pyne was killed in a crash involving a ute and a freight train at Edmonton. Picture: Vince Williams

QPS Road Policing and Regional Support Command, Acting Chief Superintendent Garrath Channells said the crashes were deeply concerning.

“These tragic numbers are not just statistics, they represent fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, and friends whose lives have been cut short,” he said.

“Police are out there doing everything they can on the roads to try and bring this figure down and ensure people can return home to loved ones or their families.

“To then observe the deadliest start to the year since 2020 is truly harrowing.

“We’re pleading with every road user to make the right choices, because every decision you make on the road has the power to save a life or take one.”

Towards the end of 2024, QPS observed a growing trend in deaths involving vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, motorcycle riders, and users of personal mobility devices such as e-scooters and e-bikes.

Motorcycle riders were over represented in 2024 with 79 lives lost compared to 77 motorcycle rider deaths in 2023.

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Originally published as Driver of Toyota Echo that crashed into Edmonton power pole to be charged