Levant man escapes utility pole crash caused by bee

LEVANT – A Levant man escaped mostly unharmed Wednesday after the car he was driving went off Route 222, severed a utility pole with a transformer attached and came to rest on its roof.

Michael Giles, 51, was trapped inside the car, hanging upside down still secured by his seat belt. He struggled for several minutes, concerned that the car was still running and could ignite. He was also worried that the bee that had flown into his car and caused him to lose control was still inside. Giles, who is allergic to bees, managed to break free and, with help from passers-by, crawled out the rear passenger door.

The car was demolished, the utility pole broke in half and a utility line hung a few feet from the ground, but Giles’ injuries amounted to bruises and scrapes.

“I feel lucky,” he said. He was grateful for the help he received after the accident.

Erin Hartley, 18, and her mother, Linda Norris, both of Stetson, were heading home when they saw the utility lines down, but tall grass hid the car. When they did see it, they stopped to help with several others, including a nurse from St. Joseph Hospital.

While her daughter called for help on a cell phone, Norris and the nurse made sure Giles was OK. Norris yelled to Giles and kept him talking, assuring him that help was on the way. She and the nurse opened the door from which Giles exited.

The accident occurred about 4:30 p.m. a half-mile west of Waugh Cemetery. The Levant Fire Department blocked off a section of the road until Central Maine Power crews moved the wires. Levant firefighter James Robichaud said the precautions were taken because the transformer on the pole posed a fire hazard.

Giles remembered only pieces of what happened, but he said his troubles began as he was heading west and a bee flew into his car. His left eye is artificial and when the bee flew between his glasses and his right eye, he said, “I more or less panicked.”

Trying to swat the bee away, Giles lost control of the car and headed off the road.

“The next thing I knew, I was riding the edge of the road and the pole was coming up,” Giles said.

Robichaud said the car hit the edge of a driveway, became airborne, hit the utility pole and then spun around, hitting the pavement before it rolled onto its roof.