Police close Carolina Beach Road after fatal accident

A fatal car accident on Carolina Beach road stopped traffic for a good part of the day.

Police said the accident took place around 11:45 when a blue Ford Taurus traveling south on 421 ran off the side of the road. The driver was traveling alone wearing his seatbelt, but he died at the scene.

Police closed Carolina Beach Road between Shipyard Boulevard and Greefield Street until 5:00 p.m.

Witnesses were shocked by what they saw. “After he broke the telephone pole, his car flipped upside down. I heard that cracking and popping from the telephone pole. The next thing was the red light was cracking and popping, sparks flying,” said al Miller.

Police are still investigating and would not release the driver’s name.

The accident also caused a power outage for the surrounding area. Progress Energy said more than 1,000 customers lost power including New Hanover Regional Medical Center.

Power was restored to the hospital within an hour, but other customers were without power until around 4:30 Thursday afternoon.