A teenage Romeo’s dreams of a July 29, late-night rendezvous with his “Juliet,” were shattered when the 17-year-old lost control of his pickup, traveled more than 30 yards in a ditch, then crashed into a utility pole.

The collision, to which emergency personnel were dispatched at 10:58 p.m., sheared the pole and sent high-voltage transmission wires onto the ground around the Chevrolet 1500.

Nokomis Volunteer Fire Department Capt. Jerry Gehman said the incident could have easily been the final act of the youngster’s life.

“There’s about 144,000 volts running through those lines,” Gehman pointed out. “As it was, his truck was totaled, but if he had gotten out of the truck and touched the ground, he would be dead.”

The scared youngster initially told first responders that his mother was actually driving the truck and had “caught a ride back to Bay Minette to get help.”

When the teen was later questioned by Alabama State Troopers, he finally admitted he had sneaked out of his family’s house and was “going to see his girlfriend” when the near-fatal experience occurred.

The pickup apparently left U.S. 31 near Nokomis Baptist Church, traveled about 100 feet through a ditch, then skidded into the pole, hitting it “t-bone style.”

The crash occurred just west of the fireworks trailer located at the Phillipsville Road junction and left most of the community without electricity for several hours. Southern Pine Electric Co-op crews reportedly worked through the night to replace the pole and restore power.

Submitted photo: The pickup sheared the power pole and ripped its wires down.