Poway Man Suffers Facial Injuries in Possible DUI Crash

A 59-year-old Poway man complained of pain and facial injuries after a Tuesday night crash that started a small fire and knocked out power to thousands of people in Rancho Bernardo, police said.

San Diego police officers thought the man might have been under the influence of alcohol during the crash, but the results of a blood test have not been determined and the department does not release the results of chemcial tests, Lt. Andra Brown, a San Diego Police Department spokeswoman, said in an email Wednesday.

The Poway man allegedly lost control during a quick turn onto westbound Rancho Bernardo Road from Bernardo Center Drive just before 8 p.m. Tuesday and crashed into a utility box that caught fire. Officers said he fled the scene, but was later detained and taken to Pomerado Hospital.

[See: Hit-and-Run Driver Causes Thousands to Lose Power in Rancho Bernardo]

The man's name was not released because he had not been arrested by late Wednesday afternoon. Brown said officers are "pursuing a notify warrant"—an obligation to appear in court at a later date to face possible charges.

Typically, notify warrants are issued when people can't be arrested at the time—for example, if they were in a car crash and are in the hospital like in this case, police said.

The fire was put out quickly and power was restored over several hours.

See more photos from the crash on Rancho Bernardo-4S Ranch Patch.