BEVERLY — A rush-hour truck crash sent the driver to the hospital and diverted motorists from one of the city's busiest intersections.
The crash happened shortly before 7 p.m. on Laurel Street between Brimbal Avenue and Dodge Street.
Police said Keith Polischuk, 32, of South Hamilton was driving his 2006 Toyota Tundra, which is outfitted with special controls on the steering wheel for the accelerator and brakes, when it struck a telephone pole, police said.
Lt. Timothy Hegarty said the crash happened when Polischuk's leg slipped and his foot went onto the gas.
Polischuk is a paraplegic, Hegarty said.
Polischuk was taken to Beverly Hospital by Northeast Regional Ambulance to be evaluated.
He was shaken up but appeared to have no injuries, Hegarty said.
The truck had front-end damage from where it struck the telephone pole, snapping it in two places.
The wires didn't break off, and they kept part of the pole suspended in air.
Neighbors who came to the crash scene said they still had power, but Hegarty said electricity was shut off later so crews from National Grid could replace the pole.
Skid marks show the truck was head up Dodge Street and turned onto Laurel Street and struck the telephone pole. The vehicle kept going across the street and stopped on the front lawn of 4 Laurel St.
Resident Danielle Buckley said she wasn't home when the crash happened.
"I got off the train, I went tanning, and I came around the corner and there's a truck in my yard," Buckley said.
Buckley said the only damage to her home is to a shrub.
The crash blocked off Laurel Street and part of Dodge Street, major traffic arteries in North Beverly.
Police closed off Brimbal Avenue by Laurel Street, as well as access to Dodge Street from Route 1A.
Police Sgt. Joe Shairs came across the crash and called it in to police, Hegarty said.
Patrolman Donald Call is investigating the crash.
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