MOLALLA, Ore. -- A crash near Molalla left hundreds of people without power Monday.

Portland General Electric crews were dispatched after a car hit a pole and brought down a high-voltage power line near Highway 213 and South Kropf Road at about 2:30 a.m., said Brianne Hyder with PGE.

About 400 PGE customers experienced a power surge that might have damaged meters or appliances, Hyder said.

Three hundred of the meters needed to be replaced.

The car's driver was not badly hurt, said Lt.Gregg Hastings of the Oregon State Police, and the driver was cited for failure to stay in the lane.

Police said alcohol or drugs were not involved in the crash.

Crews restored power at about 11:30 a.m. and worked into the night to replace the destroyed meters.

Some customers saw sparks in their homes during the surge.

"Several people had their meters actually blown off their house and (had) sparks coming out their outlets," said Tim Maronay, who lost power until 8 p.m.

PGE replaced the meters for free but Hyder said the utility does not help repair customers' appliances damaged by a car crash.

The company is sharing the driver's insurance information with customers who have damaged property.

Lee Lopez lives a mile from the crash. He said he saw blackened transformers along Highway 213.

"We just saw a big, old flash through our window. We thought it was lightning at first," Lopez said.

PGE customers can safeguard appliances with panel-mounted surge protectors and in-home surge protectors, Hyder said.

Car Crash Knocks Out Power Near Molalla