News > Safety For Life: What To Do In A Car Accident Involving Electrical Equipment

Safety For Life: What To Do In A Car Accident Involving Electrical Equipment

January 28, 2025

Accidents can happen any time of the year, but Stearns Electric notices an increase in vehicle accidents involving electrical equipment during Minnesota’s icy winters. Knowing what to do if you find yourself in an accident involving high voltage electrical equipment could save your life.

If you witness a vehicle collision with a power pole, do not approach the accident. By trying to help, you may put your own life at risk. The best thing to do is contact emergency responders and stay far away from the accident.

In traumatic situations, such as a vehicle accident, it may be instinctive to flee as soon as possible. However, if you are in an accident with a power line, or other electrical equipment, the safest place you can be is, most likely, in your vehicle.

When a vehicle crashes into a power pole, the pole may fall down, or power lines may fall on your vehicle or on the ground nearby. When this happens, your vehicle and/or the area around it may become charged with electric energy. If you step out of the vehicle in this scenario, your body would become the path to ground for the electricity, and you could be electrocuted.

If you find yourself in a vehicle accident involving a power pole or other electrical equipment, do the following:

• Stay IN your vehicle (do NOT leave) and warn others to stay away.
• Call 911 for help.
• Wait until a professional from Stearns Electric, or other electric utility provider, tells you it is safe to leave your vehicle.

The ONLY reason to exit a vehicle after an accident involving electrical equipment is if it’s on fire. In the rare case of a vehicle fire:

• Jump clear of the vehicle with your feet together and without touching the car and the ground at the same time.
• Once you are safely outside of the vehicle, shuffle at least 200 yards away with your feet together.
• Do not go back to the vehicle to retrieve any items until you are told it is safe to do so by a professional.

Remember, you cannot see, hear or smell electricity, which makes it extremely dangerous. Downed power lines or damaged electrical equipment can be live and lethal, and anything touching it, including your vehicle, could be energized.