A Jacksonville man was cited after his SUV struck two utility poles last night. Jacksonville Police and Ameren-Illinois received a dispatch at approximately 7:45 last night that a vehicle had struck two utility poles and power lines were down in the roadway in the 1100 block of West Lafayette Avenue.
According to a Jacksonville Police report, a dark-colored Jeep SUV driven by 37-year old Ian R. Eldridge of the 100 block of Jean Drive was traveling eastbound in the 1100 block of West Lafayette when the vehicle veered off the roadway to the right and struck a utility pole, snapping it in two, before colliding with an additional utility pole and coming to a stop.
According to the police report, Eldridge told police he was attempting to retrieve a spray bottle that had fallen to the floorboard and lost control of the vehicle.
The SUV received disabling damage to the front passenger side and airbags were deployed. The vehicle was towed from the scene. No injuries were reported.
Eldridge was cited for failure to reduce speed to avoid a crash.
Ameren-Illinois crews were still on site this morning making repairs to the broken poles and downed power lines.