A driver who apparently fell asleep at the wheel crashed into a utility pole in the early morning hours of Friday, Nov. 10, knocking out power and causing the closure of traffic in both directions on El Camino Real between Wilburn Avenue, Lloyden Drive and Almendral Avenue in Atherton, according to a town news bulletin.
An initial estimate for reopening the state highway was 10 a.m. but it was pushed back throughout the day. Atherton police announced at 6:50 p.m. that the roadway finally had reopened.
The collision caused a "major" AT&T fiber optic communications cable to fall across all lanes of El Camino Real around 2 a.m., said Police Chief Steve McCulley in an email. Some 354 PG&E customers in Atherton were without power as of 9:41 a.m. last Friday, according to PG&E's outage maps. Power was expected to be restored at 7 p.m.
"We had trouble in getting AT&T technicians to respond," McCully said. "AT&T recently contacted us and advised they will be arriving on scene shortly."
Police say no one was injured in the incident.
-Angela Swartz
Stanford hate crime suspect sketch released
The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office has released more information about a hit-and-run suspect who struck a Muslim student with his vehicle on the Stanford University campus on Nov. 3.
The collision is being investigated as a hate crime, because the suspect reportedly yelled "F—- you and your people" out the window of his vehicle after making eye contact with the man, accelerating, and striking him as he crossed the intersection of Campus Drive and Ayrshire Farm Lane.
The suspect fled the scene and the man was taken to the hospital, where he survived his injuries.
The man believed he was targeted because he was wearing a shirt that had Arabic script on it.
According to the victim, the suspect was a white, unshaven adult male in his mid-20s. He was wearing a grey top and prescription glasses. His vehicle was a black Toyota SUV with a tire mounted on the rear. Police believe this vehicle should have passenger-side bumper damage from the collision.
Authorities are also looking for anyone who may have witnessed the collision or who were walking near the area around that time.
Anyone who may have information helpful to this case is urged to contact the Sheriff's Office at (408) 808-4500 or call the anonymous tip line at (408) 808-4431.
Police have released a sketch of the suspect and a picture of a similar vehicle.
-Bay City News Service
