The Raleigh Police Department said officers responded to reports of a deceased person in the 1900 block of South New Hope Road just before 5 a.m. Police said a woman driving a black Toyota hit a utility pole, causing a power outage in the area, and causing her vehicle to go down an embankment.
A preliminary investigation found that the woman got out of her vehicle following the crash and tried to walk up the hill. Officers said she then accidentally made contact with a powerline and was electrocuted.
The woman was pronounced dead at the scene
Thousands of Duke Energy customers near South New Hope Road and Poole Road were without power for hours following the incident. Power was restored before noon.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.