A crazy afternoon Monday when a woman crashed her van into a major power line, knocking out power for thousands and completely shutting down U.S. 41 in Fort Myers for hours.
That woman was arrested with the help of a Good Samaritan.
This is a story of what happened when the woman slammed her van into an electrical guide wire on South Cleveland Avenue (U.S. 41). That wire snapped, killing power to nearly 3,000 homes in Fort Myers.
The power was off for about two and a half hours, disrupting the Labor Day holiday for many. And it all ended with an unusual gesture from a Good Samaritan.
"You left the scene of an accident you can't do that," says the good Samaritan, Wes.
It all began around 12:30 in the afternoon. Police say Holly Ann Warriner was driving northbound on U.S. 41 near Airport Road in Fort Myers when a Jeep clipped her, forcing her off the roadway in to the utility pole's guide wire, which then snapped.
Witnesses say Warriner then took off on foot and tried to flee the scene.
Wes says his friend, “Told me 'hey, go follow that girl. She's leaving the scene.' That's what I did."
Wes caught up with Warriner and gave police the information which, he says, led to her arrest.
Meanwhile, traffic was stopped along U.S. 41 and power was out for thousands.
One contractor nearby says he realized it when his power tools stopped working. "I'm here remodeling my mother’s bathroom." When asked if the power outage stopped him from getting the job done he replied, "Oh yeah."
The Romero family was also using this Labor Day to do some labor of their own. They were putting in a security system when the power went off, and that's when they had to put everything on hold for a few hours.
Wes says he's glad he was able to help police find Warriner, who has a long rap sheet already. He hopes this time she'll get the help she needs, “I don’t know if she was scared or what happened, she freaked out about it but, you know, I hope she learns from this."
Warriner was arrested and is charged with hit and run with injuries, giving a false statement and driving with a license suspended.
