A Massachusetts driver crashed into a telephone pole in Jaffrey on Sunday night, knocking power out in the area of North Street for about eight hours.
Francis de Marneffe, 92, of Westwood, told police he fell asleep at the wheel, causing him to crash a leased 2016 Toyota Scion into a telephone pole on North Street, located between Goodnow Street and the five way intersection downtown.
“While walking into the police department, I heard a loud bang and observed electrical wires rapidly bouncing up and down,” said officer Joseph Hileman, in the narrative of the log entry. “I made my way to North Street where I observed a vehicle crashed directly into a telephone pole and the pole appeared severely damaged.”
De Marneffe is the general director emeritus of McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts, and a longtime summer resident of Dublin. De Marneffe is also an author, who recounted his escape from Brussels during the early days of World War II in “Last Boat From Bordeaux.”
According to police, de Marneffe was traveling southbound on North Street, when he crossed the center line and crashed into the pole.
Police say the car hit the pole head-on, deploying all airbags in the vehicle. The vehicle was towed from the scene, and de Marneffe was transported to Monadnock Community Hospital.
“From what I have been told, he wasn’t injured,” said Lt. Terry Choate, who said one possibility for transport could have been that de Marneffe breathed n some of the airbag dust.
Choate said the damage to the pole caused the road to be closed until at least 2:30 a.m., which was how long he said it took for power to be restored. Choate said the wires attached to the pole were hanging, which caused a nearby tree to catch fire at one point.
Choate said speed did not appear to be a factor in the crash, adding that based on evidence, de Marneffe was likely going at or below the speed limit. In addition to Jaffrey police, Eversource, NH DOT and Jaffrey fire were all on scene.