Stonington — Thanks to a “phenomenal” response from Eversource, the town averted disaster Thursday after a nighttime incident badly damaged three poles at the intersection of routes 2 and 49.

Acting First Selectman John Prue said the crash involved a pickup truck whose driver didn’t see low hanging wires. Police Capt. Todd Olson said further investigation revealed a tree actually fell onto the truck, bringing down two poles and badly damaging a third as it fell.

Olson said despite the live wires all around his truck, the driver escaped without injury.

"He's a very lucky guy," Olson said.

The wreck initially knocked out power to more than 440 customers.

Prue said each of the affected poles carried multiple three-phase power lines. Eversource employees told him it could take up to a day to make repairs, which prompted town officials to prepare to open and staff a shelter overnight.

Because Eversource employees on Thursday night enacted a workaround, the shelter never was needed. Working from their Berlin headquarters, they rerouted power around the affected area so it could still reach the nearby customers.

By 10:30 p.m., just six properties — three residential, three commercial — were in the dark. To resolve that, Eversource brought in generators.

“If (the crash) was the perfect storm, their response was even better,” Prue said of Eversource.

Prue is acting as the town’s first selectman because First Selectman Rob Simmons is in Panama on a planned vacation with his wife.

At 2 p.m., crews still were working to fix the messy scene. Olson said several Eversource trucks were on scene. Five officers additionally were spending their days stationed at Route 2, Route 49, Elmridge Road and White Rock Bridge Road.

Olson estimated the area could be closed off well into the evening, if not into the night.

l.boyle@theday.com