Driver cited after early morning crash on Franconia Road that took out power

A scene from video of the accident scene posted to social media.

A motorist was cited for reckless driving after an early-morning crash in the Rose Hill area that brought down power lines and left many nearby residents without electricity. 

Police say the one-car crash happened around 2:45 a.m. Wednesday morning on Franconia Road near the intersection of Park Terrace (see map). A police spokeswoman was unsure of the condition of the driver, but said that no passengers were in the vehicle. Video taken at the scene and posted to Twitter showed a damaged Nissan SUV being towed hours after the crash.

@DomEnergyVA replacing broken power pole and lines on Franconia Road & Guilford Drive. Single lane traffic in both directions on Franconia Road. @_EllenBryan @wusa9 @Wusa9traffic @FairfaxCountyPD @Starbuck1004 pic.twitter.com/eqCDx7qM6Z

— Mark Bost (@obedienttither) April 25, 2018

The crash closed Franconia Road between South Van Dorn Street and Rose Hill Drive for hours as Dominion Energy crews worked to clear downed wires and replace the damaged pole. Eventually a single lane was opened in each direction before the road was fully cleared a little after 11 a.m.

Lots of work to prepare downed wires at the accident scene on Franconia Road in Alexandria. @FairfaxCountyPD @nbcwashington pic.twitter.com/tpkKm5wFvZ

— Molette Green (@MoletteGreen) April 25, 2018

A Dominion Energy spokesman said 1,848 customers lost power for a little more than an hour. Another 247 customers were without power until 10:30 a.m.