Man Impaled by Fence Pole in New York Crash

A driver was impaled by a metal pole Saturday night after his car left the road in Sandy Creek and went through a fence, state police said.

The man, whose identity was not released, was driving west just before 8 p.m. on Route 11 near Norton Road when his car left the north shoulder of the road and struck the fence surrounding a National Grid natural gas well, Trooper Tom Guarasce said.

A section of the fence, a galvanized metal pole about 2 inches around, entered the car and punctured the man's abdomen, Guarasce said. The pole went through the man's back and continued into the car, Guarasce said.

Members of the Sandy Creek Fire Department had to cut the pole in front of and in back of the man to remove him from the car, Guarasce said.

The man was taken by NOCA ambulance to University Hospital, where he was in critical condition in the operating room, Guarasce said.

The man is from the Sandy Creek area and was alone in the car, Guarasce said. Alcohol might have played a factor and the investigation into the crash is continuing, Guarasce said.