Postal vehicle takes out 'rotten' utility pole in Leitchfield. Driver found unresponsive in postal vehicle more than once, source says

The slip of a foot caused a U.S. postal vehicle to take out a “rotten” utility pole off West Walnut Street in Leitchfield.

Sunday afternoon at approximately 1:00, Leitchfield Police Officers Brian Jennings, Bart Glenn and Greg Whobrey, the Leitchfield Fire Department, EMS, and Emergency Management Director Carey Sims responded to the accident in the 300 block of West Walnut Street.

Upon arriving at the scene, Jennings said police found that a U.S. postal vehicle, being driven by postal employee Gage Watson, had struck a utility pole adjacent to a cluster of connected mailboxes on an access road off West Walnut Street.

The impact dropped live electrical lines onto the ground, Leitchfield Fire Chief Tim Duvall said. He added that when he arrived on scene, several people were walking around the lines, likely unknowingly risking their lives.

“People have to learn to stay away from downed power lines,” Duvall stated.

While the accident was being investigated, Watson told Jennings that his foot slipped off the brake as he placed a package into a mailbox. The vehicle shot forward and struck the utility pole, which fell on top of the vehicle.

Jennings noted that a check of the pole showed it was “rotten where it was sheared off at the bottom” of the pole, he said.

Driver allegedly found unresponsive in his postal vehicle more than once

Watson, earlier on Sunday, was found asleep/unconscious/unresponsive in the 400 block of North Main Street, according to a law enforcement source. He was awakened and continued his route.

About two weeks ago, Watson was found asleep/unconscious/unresponsive in his postal vehicle on North Clinton Street in Leitchfield, the source added. The person who first encountered Watson on that day “thought he was dead.”

He was, again though, awakened and continued his mail route.

At the West Walnut Street incident on Sunday, Watson was given a field sobriety test, which he passed.

It took electrical workers several hours to replace the utility pole.