The mystery behind the famous Princeton Walmart pole

PRINCETON, Ind. (WFIE) - It’s the most famous pole in Gibson County — and probably the most expensive, too.

One yellow pole in Princeton’s Walmart parking lot has become a viral sensation. It’s claim to fame? Causing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage to cars.

“This pole has kept my officers busy for a while all the sudden out of no where,” said Princeton Police Chief Derek McGraw.

The bright yellow pole sits at the base of a stop sign near the exit. It’s surrounded by striped yellow lines and is in no different placement that any of the other stop signs. Yet Chief McGraw says an average of two drivers hit the pole each month.

“This thing doesn’t move, I can tell you that,” McGraw said. “I’ve seen a couple trucks parked on top of it. It does not give.”

The mystery surrounding why drivers keep crashing into the pole made its way to social media. The pole has it’s own Facebook page and a picture of a crash is worth several hundred likes and comments on the popular Gibson County News & Talk page.

As for what causes the accidents, McGraw has theories but no definitive answers.

“I wish I had a better idea,” he said. “I’m sure Walmart would be happy if this pole would quit getting hit too. Honestly, every driver that we speak to says ‘I did not see the pole when I hit it.’”

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