By Rick Wright

Staff Writer

Car accidents at opposite ends of the city kept South Portland police officers occupied for many hours last week.

Two cars collided at 10:46 a.m. on Dec. 29 at the intersection of Ocean and Sawyer streets. 

“The momentum of the collision carried them into a house at 505 Ocean St.,” said South Portland Police Lt. Todd Bernard. The building houses a street-level business called Sea Rose and several apartments on the upper level.

 One vehicle, a Toyota van, was driven by Basil Steele, 56, of South Portland. The other car, a Toyota SUV, was driven by Annie Yates, 72, also a South Portland resident.

Employees and residents were evacuated because the crashed cars severed a meter attached to a gas line and caused a gas leak. Unitil shut off the gas, replaced the meter and repaired the gas line. Bernard said it took about an hour and a half to clear the scene and remove the cars, which received significant damage.

Yates was transported to the hospital, treated for minor injuries and released. Steele was treated at the scene by South Portland rescue personnel and released with minor injuries.

The case is still under investigation and no charges have been filed, Bernard said

On Dec. 30, Philip Stisi, 21, of Westbrook was charged with operating after suspension after police said he slammed into a telephone pole at the intersection of Main Street and Southwell Avenue.

Stisi was headed north on Route 1 about 4:30 a.m. when his Ford sedan crossed over the center line, hit the pole and came to rest near a house, police said. The house was not damaged.

Investigators concluded that alcohol and weather did not cause the crash.

“Speed and driver inattention were contributing factors,” Bernard said.

Police blocked off Main Street from Broadway to Westbrook Street for more than two hours because of a broken pole and live wires in the road.

Power was restored to the Thornton Heights neighborhood at 6:32 a.m. Approximately 2,500 Central Maine Power customers were affected by the power outage, said CMP spokesman Gail Rice.

Although his car appeared to be totaled, Stisi suffered only minor injuries and was treated at the scene by South Portland rescue personnel, Bernard said. Stisi was released after being issued a summons and given a court date by investigating officer Ted Sargent.

Rick Wright can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 237, or news@inthesentry.com.