Woman Arrested in Car-Versus-Pole Crash That Tied Up Sunday Canyon Traffic

A single car accident on Laguna Canyon Road early Sunday morning created congestion on the highway for hours.

The car, which according to the Laguna Beach Police Department was being driven by Laguna Beach resident Farren McGuire Braun, 21, struck a utility pole on Laguna Canyon Road in the area of the animal shelter and the Pacific Marine Mammal Center.

Braun was arrested at 1:58 a.m. on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Officers spent the rest of the morning redirecting traffic around the accident site. The road was down to one lane between Sun Valley and Stan Oak until the afternoon.

Edison was contacted because the pole that was hit supported high tension electrical wires.

This situation brought a response from the Laguna Beach Fire Department due to one wire, which led to the PMMC, being pulled off as a result of the crash. The wire was dangling and sparking in some trees, which on several occasions ignited small fires that were quickly knocked out by the LBFD.

An Edison crew worked on repairing the wire into the afternoon, which triggered traffic alerts from the city.