Unalaska, AK – At about 2:30 am on Saturday a drunk driver struck two electrical switches near Airport-Beach Road causing a massive power outage through out the city. According to court documents, 21-year old Ryan J. Bruce was using his brother's vehicle to drive friends home from the bar. He tried to make a last minute turn onto East Point Road but instead struck two electrical switches. Bruce blames the accident partially on the car's "mushy brakes."

Public Works Director Dan Winters says the 4,500 pound, 15,000 volt switch was knocked from its pedestal and the 6,000 pound, 35,000 volt switch was moved slightly. Winters said the car was within a few feet of a deadly electrical current. Court documents note a large electrical arc between the units. The accident knocked out power from the airport to city hall for a short period of time. Power was out from the Dutch Harbor Post Office to Amelia's until about noon on Saturday. Damages to the city power equipment total between $75,000 and $100,000. Winters says that according to city code, the city can bill Bruce for the damages.

Total damages to local businesses are unclear. Eagle Quality Center Assistant Manager Abe Palmer said that their back-up generators were not large enough to power all of the refrigerators and freezers for an extended period of time. The staff boxed up all of the dairy and meat and most of the frozen products, put them into trucks and transported them to Horizon for cold storage. Palmer says that without accurate information from the city about the length of the outage and the quick response from Horizon Lines, they would have lost more products. They are still currently assessing the damages and the labor costs. Palmer said it is unclear if they will be pursuing damage payments from Bruce.

The extended power outage also caused an alarm malfunction at the Museum of the Aleutians.

Bruce was charged with a DUI and with reckless endangerment. Other charges are pending. Bruce and his two passengers sustained minor injuries.