Georgia · DeKalb County · Traffic & Accidents
Bouldercrest Road Accident at Clifton Church Road in DeKalb County, GA: Power Pole Down, All Lanes Blocked, At Least 60 Customers Without Power
A driver hit a power pole near Clifton Church Road in DeKalb County, Georgia, early Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026, and did not stay on the scene, WSB-TV reported, citing investigators. As of WSB-TV’s 7:26 a.m. ET report, all lanes were blocked and Georgia Power’s outage map showed at least 60 customers without power. Atlanta News First, reporting at 7:41 a.m. ET, put the figure at about 63 people and placed the accident at Bouldercrest Lane rather than Bouldercrest Road.
Key facts
- What happened
- A driver crashed into a power pole and did not stay on the scene, WSB-TV reported, citing investigators who spoke to Channel 2’s Bryan Mims
- Where
- DeKalb County, Georgia, at Clifton Church Road. WSB-TV says Bouldercrest Road; Atlanta News First says Bouldercrest Lane. The two outlets disagree
- When
- Thursday morning, Aug. 20, 2026. WSB-TV published at 7:26 a.m. ET; Atlanta News First at 7:41 a.m. ET
- Road status
- All lanes blocked as of WSB-TV’s 7:26 a.m. report, while crews removed power lines from the road. No reopening time published
- Power out
- At least 60 customers (WSB-TV, citing Georgia Power’s outage map) · about 63 people (Atlanta News First, citing Georgia Power). Different units, not the same count
- Restoration
- Georgia Power estimates repairs finished by 8:45 a.m., per Atlanta News First. An estimate, not a confirmation
- Injuries
- Unknown. Atlanta News First: it is unknown if anybody was injured. WSB-TV does not address it
- Not published
- The driver’s identity, any charge, any named investigating agency, the cause, and a reopening time
- What happened in the Bouldercrest Road accident in DeKalb County, GA?
- Which road is blocked — Bouldercrest Road or Bouldercrest Lane?
- How many customers lost power in the DeKalb County accident?
- Did the driver stay at the scene of the accident?
- What did WSB-TV report about traffic around Bouldercrest Road?
- What is not known yet?
- Frequently asked questions
What happened in the Bouldercrest Road accident near Clifton Church Road in DeKalb County, GA?
A driver hit a power pole in DeKalb County, Georgia, on Thursday morning, Aug. 20, 2026, and the pole came down across the road, WSB-TV and Atlanta News First both reported. The two stations are separately owned — WSB-TV is Channel 2 Action News, owned by Cox Media Group, and Atlanta News First is WANF, owned by Gray Media — and they published 15 minutes apart.
WSB-TV’s report, bylined to Courtney Martinez and timestamped 7:26 a.m. ET, is short. It says the accident happened along Bouldercrest Road near Clifton Church Road, credits the location to Triple Team Traffic’s Mike Shields, and reports that “All lanes are blocked as crews work to remove the power lines from the road.” That was the road’s status at 7:26 a.m.; WSB-TV has not published a reopening time since.
Atlanta News First, publishing at 7:41 a.m. ET, adds the only physical description of the scene that either newsroom offers: “Part of the pole was seen leaning over the road, while the other half sat on top of the sedan involved.” The station labels its own story a developing one. Neither outlet reports what happened to the person driving, and neither says how many people were in the car.
Which road is blocked — Bouldercrest Road or Bouldercrest Lane in DeKalb County, GA?
WSB-TV places the accident along Bouldercrest Road near Clifton Church Road. The photo on its story is captioned “Bouldercrest Road crash.” Atlanta News First places it near the intersection of Bouldercrest Lane and Clifton Church Road. Both outlets name Clifton Church Road; that is the one point of agreement on location.
OpenStreetMap map data shows that Bouldercrest Road SE and Bouldercrest Lane are two different streets in the same Gresham Park area of DeKalb County, a short distance apart, with Clifton Church Road running through the Gresham Park and Panthersville area. So both street names exist and neither outlet has written down an impossible address. Neither newsroom has corrected the other, and this report attributes each version to the outlet that published it rather than picking one.
There is a second geographic split. WSB-TV datelines its story DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. Atlanta News First calls the location southeast Atlanta. Gresham Park is unincorporated DeKalb County, and an Atlanta mailing address there is not the same as being inside Atlanta city limits. This page treats the location as DeKalb County, Georgia, and credits the “southeast Atlanta” description to Atlanta News First.
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How many customers lost power in the DeKalb County, GA power pole accident?
WSB-TV, at 7:26 a.m. ET: Georgia Power’s outage map showed “at least 60 customers in the area do not have power.” Atlanta News First, at 7:41 a.m. ET: according to Georgia Power, “about 63 people in the area are without power.” A Georgia Power customer is a metered account, which is not the same thing as a person, so the two figures are not a correction of one another and no single number is given here as the total.
On restoration, only Atlanta News First carries anything: “The company estimates repairs will be finished by 8:45 a.m.” That is a Georgia Power estimate relayed by one newsroom, published at 7:41 a.m. No source read for this report has confirmed that power came back on, and utility estimates move.
Did the driver stay at the scene of the Bouldercrest Road accident?
No. WSB-TV reports that investigators told Channel 2’s Bryan Mims that “the driver did not stay on the scene after the crash.” That single sentence is the entire published record on the point.
WSB-TV says “investigators” and names no police department, sheriff’s office or state agency; Atlanta News First names no agency at all, so no investigating agency is identified on this page. Neither outlet uses the phrase hit-and-run. No driver has been named, located, cited or charged by either newsroom, and nothing here should be read as an accusation against anyone.
What did WSB-TV report about traffic around Bouldercrest Road in DeKalb County?
Heads up: the road information below is WSB-TV’s reporting from 7:26 a.m. ET and it can go stale quickly. The station reported that all lanes were blocked while crews worked to remove the power lines, and said it was live on Channel 2 Action News This Morning while crews worked to clean up the lines and get traffic moving again.
On alternates, WSB-TV reported that its Triple Team Traffic reporter, Mike Shields, told viewers that “drivers who rely on Bouldercrest Road should use Moreland Avenue, Jonesboro Road or Flat Shoals Pkwy as an alternate.” That is the station relaying its own traffic reporter, not routing advice from The Local Alert, and it was accurate to the moment WSB-TV published it.
What is not known yet about the DeKalb County power pole accident?
- Whether anyone was hurt. Atlanta News First states it is unknown if anybody was injured in the crash, and WSB-TV does not raise the subject. Neither outlet says anyone was hurt and neither rules it out.
- Who was driving. No name, no age, no description of the driver, and no report that the driver has been found. Neither outlet reports that anyone has been charged.
- Which agency is investigating. WSB-TV attributes its account to “investigators” and names no department. Atlanta News First names none. No agency is named here for that reason.
- Which street it is. WSB-TV says Bouldercrest Road; Atlanta News First says Bouldercrest Lane. OpenStreetMap shows both exist nearby. Neither outlet has published a correction.
- When the road reopens. Neither outlet gives a reopening time. All lanes were blocked at WSB-TV’s 7:26 a.m. report, and that status could change before either newsroom posts an update.
- Whether power is back. Georgia Power’s 8:45 a.m. figure is an estimate relayed by Atlanta News First, not a confirmed restoration, and no source read here has confirmed it held.
- What caused it. Neither outlet gives a cause, a speed, a direction of travel, or a description of the vehicle beyond the word “sedan.”
Frequently asked questions
What happened on Bouldercrest Road in DeKalb County, GA?
A driver crashed into a power pole Thursday morning, Aug. 20, 2026, in DeKalb County, Georgia, WSB-TV reported. As of WSB-TV’s 7:26 a.m. ET report, all lanes were blocked while crews worked to remove the power lines from the road. Atlanta News First reported at 7:41 a.m. ET that “Part of the pole was seen leaning over the road, while the other half sat on top of the sedan involved.”
Where exactly did the accident happen — Bouldercrest Road or Bouldercrest Lane?
The two newsrooms do not agree. WSB-TV placed it along Bouldercrest Road near Clifton Church Road. Atlanta News First placed it near the intersection of Bouldercrest Lane and Clifton Church Road. OpenStreetMap map data shows Bouldercrest Road SE and Bouldercrest Lane are two separate streets in the same Gresham Park area of DeKalb County. Neither outlet has corrected the other, and this report does not pick between them.
How many customers lost power in the Bouldercrest Road accident?
The two published figures are not in the same unit. WSB-TV, citing Georgia Power’s outage map, reported at least 60 customers in the area without power as of 7:26 a.m. ET. Atlanta News First, citing Georgia Power, reported about 63 people without power as of 7:41 a.m. ET. Customers and people are not the same count, and neither outlet reconciles the two figures.
When is power expected to be restored in the Clifton Church Road area?
Atlanta News First reported at 7:41 a.m. ET that Georgia Power estimates repairs will be finished by 8:45 a.m. That is a utility estimate relayed by one newsroom, not a confirmed restoration. No source available here has reported that power is actually back on.
Did the driver stay at the scene of the DeKalb County accident?
No. WSB-TV reported that investigators told Channel 2’s Bryan Mims that “the driver did not stay on the scene after the crash.” Neither WSB-TV nor Atlanta News First names the driver, gives an age, reports a charge, or uses the term hit-and-run, and no one has been accused of anything by either outlet.
Which agency is investigating the Bouldercrest Road accident?
Neither outlet says. WSB-TV attributes the account of the driver leaving to “investigators” without naming a department, and Atlanta News First names no agency at all. No police department, sheriff’s office or state agency is named on this page, because no source named one.
Was anyone hurt in the Bouldercrest Road accident?
That is not known. Atlanta News First reported that it is unknown if anybody was injured in the crash. WSB-TV does not address injuries at all. No source says anyone was hurt and no source says no one was hurt, so this report records only that injury information has not been published.
Is this accident in Atlanta or in DeKalb County, GA?
WSB-TV datelined its report DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. Atlanta News First described the location as southeast Atlanta. The Clifton Church Road area sits in unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, where an Atlanta mailing address is not the same thing as Atlanta city limits. This report treats the location as DeKalb County, Georgia, and credits the “southeast Atlanta” wording to Atlanta News First.
What did WSB-TV report about alternate routes around Bouldercrest Road?
WSB-TV reported that its Triple Team Traffic reporter, Mike Shields, said “drivers who rely on Bouldercrest Road should use Moreland Avenue, Jonesboro Road or Flat Shoals Pkwy as an alternate.” That is the station’s reporting of what its own traffic reporter told viewers, and it is not a recommendation from The Local Alert.
Has Bouldercrest Road reopened in DeKalb County?
Not as of the reporting available here. WSB-TV reported at 7:26 a.m. ET Thursday that all lanes were blocked while crews worked to remove the power lines from the road. Neither WSB-TV nor Atlanta News First has published a reopening time, and the road could reopen without either outlet posting an update.
More DeKalb County coverage is on our DeKalb County page, and current road incidents across the state are collected on our Georgia traffic page. Related reports: a woman killed while directing traffic on I-285 near the LaVista Road exit in DeKalb County, a Conyers case in Rockdale County in which a driver left the scene and was later arrested, and arrests announced over an I-285 street takeover near Glenwood Road in DeKalb County.
Sources
- WSB-TV, Channel 2 Action News — “Busy road shut down, 60 customers without power after driver crashes into pole,” by Courtney Martinez, WSBTV.com, published 7:26 a.m. EDT Aug. 20, 2026, dateline DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. Cox Media Group. Sole source for the Bouldercrest Road location, the attribution to Triple Team Traffic’s Mike Shields, the report that investigators told Channel 2’s Bryan Mims the driver did not stay on the scene, the all-lanes-blocked status while crews removed power lines, the “at least 60 customers” figure from Georgia Power’s outage map, and the alternate routes Shields named for viewers.
- Atlanta News First (WANF) — “Dozens without electricity after car crashes into southeast Atlanta power pole,” published 7:41 a.m. ET Aug. 20, 2026, dateline ATLANTA, Ga. Gray Media, a different corporate parent from Cox. Sole source for the Bouldercrest Lane location, the “southeast Atlanta” description, the sedan and the position of the fallen pole, the “about 63 people” figure, the 8:45 a.m. Georgia Power repair estimate, and the statement that it is unknown whether anybody was injured. The station labels its story developing.
- Location context: OpenStreetMap map data, checked for this report, showing Bouldercrest Road SE and Bouldercrest Lane as separate streets in the Gresham Park area of DeKalb County and Clifton Church Road running through the Gresham Park and Panthersville area. Map data is not a newsroom and is used here only to confirm that both street names exist.
- Not read directly for this report: no police or agency incident report, no statement from any named law enforcement agency, and no Georgia Power statement of our own. Both outage figures reach this page only through the two newsrooms above.
Reported and fact-checked as of .
Every source linked here was opened and verified at that time. This report reflects what was known and confirmed at that moment and is not updated automatically as a story develops. Neither outlet named an investigating agency, so there is no agency listed here to contact.
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