The driver of a van lost control and hit a power pole on Uplands Dr., at Tunnah Rd. on Monday, June 16 (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW staff

power outage

Central Nanaimo crash zaps power, section of busy road closed

Jun 16, 2025 | 12:11 PM

NANAIMO — A van barreled into a power pole on Nanaimo’s Uplands Dr., sending the driver to hospital with injuries.

The single-vehicle wreck happened on Monday, June 16, shortly before 11 a.m. on Uplands Dr. at Tunnah Rd.

According to BC Hydro, over 100 area customers lost power as a result.

“A person had run into a pole here, we came on scene, the person was already out of the vehicle, the driver, and they were taken to the hospital,” Nanaimo Fire Rescue Capt. Shane Mason said on scene, who noted there didn’t appear to be any passengers in the van.

Over 100 BC Hydro customers remain without service Monday afternoon, with the power utility estimating restoration at about 5:30 p.m. Monday (BC Hydro)

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Uplands Drive between Emerald Dr., and Tunnah Rd. is temporarily closed, with a detour in place.

Manson said their crews are waiting for BC Hydro to evaluate the scene before the van is towed away.

“They are going to be bringing in more hydro crews to deal with what’s going on here, to make it safe.”

The incident led to Pattison Media’s 106.9 FM The Wolf and 102.3 FM The Wave being temporarily knocked off air as telecommunications infrastructure at nearby Cottle Hill was briefly impacted.

The crash’s impact also sheered off a street lamp pole, while a portion of sidewalk was also damaged. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

BC Hydro crews have been requested to assess the compromised power pole. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

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