Pregnant woman barely avoids being crushed

February 1^st, 2013 (InsideCostaRica.com) Yendry Arce, who is seven months pregnant, was hungry and decided to park her car to go to the soda “Jireh,” located between avenues 20 and 22 and 7^th street in San Jose, on the west side of the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation (MOPT).

 

She was in the area to take her husband to the MOPT facility so that he could take his drivers’ exam.

 

Coming from Alajuela, the pair had just gotten out of the vehicle and entered the soda, when a light pole fell and completely crushed the vehicle, ending directly on top of the drivers side seat where she had been sitting just moments before.

 

The incident occurred at 1pm, when 200 meters away the power lines had become trapped on the roof of a food delivery van, traveling on 22^nd avenue.

 

The tension caused a series of three utility poles to collapse over a stretch of 500 meters.

 

“I thought it was an earthquake.  Within seconds (of exiting the vehicle) the post came down.  My husband wanted to stay in the car, but I told him to come in with me,” the woman said.

 

Streets where the poles collapsed were closed for several hours as technicians from the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) and the National Power and Light Company (CNFL) worked to repair the damage.

 

The van had all of its documents in order, and heavy vehicles are permitted on the street where it was traveling.

 

Another pole fell on the MOPT doctor’s office, and damaged a wall.  There were ten people in the waiting room at the time.

 

 

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