swerved to avoid hitting a motorcyclist, found himself a quarter of the way up a Belco utility pole.

The driver Mr. Bernell Lodge, 42, was unhurt.

Mr. Lodge told The Royal Gazette he swerved to his left to avoid hitting a motorcyclist who was overtaking a van going in the opposite direction.

"I tried to avoid him and struck the curb,'' Mr. Lodge said. "He kept going but if the (stay) wire was not there I would have went to heaven. That wire saved me.'' Mr. Lodge who has been a taxi driver for more than 15 years, was travelling west on Parsons Road just outside DeGraff's Restaurant, when the mishap occurred.

One eyewitness, Mr. Wilfred DeGraff of Hamilton Parish, said he was sitting in his brother's car in the parking lot next to Godfrey's Bakery when the accident occurred.

"A guy (on bike) was overtaking and the taxi driver tried to avoid him and hit the sidewalk. He must have hit the gas instead of the brake.'' A Belco worker on the scene said that no power was lost as a result of the accident. The taxi sustained extensive damage to its front end. PHOTO UP THE POLE -- Mr. Bernell Lodge's taxi rests against a utility pole on Parsons Road after he swerved to avoid hitting a motorcyclist.