Charges filed in Layton crash that cut power to hundreds of customers
Ryan Comer, Standard-Examiner
A vehicle awaits removal by a tow truck after crashing near the Bristol Bay Apartments in Layton on Monday, May 19, 2025.LAYTON — Charges have been filed in a Monday car accident in Layton that knocked out power for hundreds of residents for several hours.
Lt. Michael Donnelly of the Layton Police Department told the Standard-Examiner late Monday night that the crash, which involved a Toyota Sienna taking out three power poles, was reported around 6 p.m. Monday at the intersection of Gentile Street and Fairfield Road.
“What witnesses were telling us at the scene was he was coming westbound on Gentile Street, through the intersection of Fairfield at a high rate of speed when he lost control, went up on to the curb and his car went through three power poles, completely severing the poles” he said. “(The vehicle) came to a rest upside down at the fourth pole.”
The fourth pole was near the entrance to the Bristol Bay Apartments.
Donnelly said the driver — a 29-year-old man — was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and that no other bystanders or drivers were hurt.
“We did file charges against the driver of that car,” Donnelly told the Standard-Examiner on Wednesday. “He was charged with DUI, open container, reckless endangerment and then there were some traffic offenses — he had a suspended license and then negligent collision.”
Donnelly declined to identify the driver.
“We want to get the (toxicity) results back,” he said. “He did suffer a head injury in the crash. We did establish probable cause already for DUI, but we want to make sure that it wasn’t part of the injury that we saw, so we haven’t been releasing his name.”
He added that the driver appeared to be driving at extreme speeds for a 35 mile-per-hour zone.
“A lot of the witnesses were estimating his speed to be over 100 miles-per-hour coming through the intersection,” he said. “We hear that a lot and it tends not to be true. In this case, we believe he exceeded 100 miles-per-hour coming down Gentile Street prior to the crash.”
Donnelly said they are still investigating to confirm a speed.
Bystanders also reported the driver getting out of the car and appearing to laugh.
As a result of the crash, power was lost to around 1,000 customers in the area well into the early hours of Tuesday. By 10 a.m., all power had been restored in Layton, according to the Rocky Mountain Power website.
