Car crashes through vacant storefront, driver taken into custody
A car crashed into a vacant storefront on Cherry Street on Sunday evening, resulting in the driver of the vehicle being taken into police custody.
Shannon Draper, chief of the Vermillion Fire Department, said the cause of the crash at the University Plaza strip mall was “medical in nature” and firefighters arrived on scene to provide medical attention. The driver was uninjured and taken into custody by the Vermillion Police Department.
“We had a vehicle that went straight across from Dairy Queen straight across Cherry and went into the building – about 20 feet into the building – and took out two columns,” Draper said.
The storefront was littered with debris from the crash. The front door of the building, along with part of the front wall and window, were also destroyed. Firefighters helped University Plaza maintenance staff secure the structure by installing temporary support beams, but it could take weeks to fully repair the store. Damage from the crash is estimated to be between $6,000 to $10,000.
“Tomorrow morning we’ll come in and do a little something more structurally sound,” said Randy Harper, maitanence supervisor of University Plaza. “It’s going to take a little while before we can come in and redo the bricks, order the steel, and new windows and doors.”
PHOTO GALLERY
(Photo: A car crashed into a vacant storefront at the University Plaza strip mall on Cherry Street on Sunday evening. The driver was uninjured in the crash and was taken into custody by the Vermillion Police Department. Plaza maintenance staff estimates damages could total between $6,000 to $10,000. Malachi Petersen / The Volante)
