Prius Shears Off Power Pole on 101; No One Injured

Southbound lanes of Highway 101 were briefly slowed Christmas morning after a car crashed into a power pole just north of Gnoss Field in Novato, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Around 8 a.m., a red Toyota Prius was traveling southbound just south of the Redwood Landfill when it crashed into the Verizon telephone pole, breaking it off at the base, Officer Eric Anderson said.

No injuries were reported. A source with the said the car’s airbag deployed, preventing major injuries.

As of 10 a.m., Verizon crews were en route to the scene to repair the pole and traffic did not appear to be affected, Anderson said.

— Bay City News Service; Novato Patch's Brent Ainsworth contributed to this report.