6 days ago
Watch car crash through Missouri veterans hall's roof for the second time this year
Watch car crash through Missouri veterans hall's roof for the second time this year
A Missouri veterans hall is rebuilding for the second time in just two months after a car crashed into its roof... again.
The Clay-Ray Veterans Memorial Hall in Excelsior Springs, Missouri, had recently finished repairing its roof after a February incident in which a car launched into the building. The vehicle's 22-year-old driver fled a traffic stop, Clay-Ray Hall said in a Facebook post.
The Feb. 22 post also gave citizens an update on the repair process, but things took a turn on May 29 when a new post appeared saying, "Here we go AGAIN!! Round #2"
See video of car lodged in the veterans hall's roof
Dramatic video shows car launching into roof of building in Missouri
Shocking video shows the moment a car launched into the roof of a building in Missouri. It's the second time in three months it has happened.
Lt. Ryan Dowdy of the Excelsior Springs Police Department told USA TODAY that authorities responded to a call around 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 28, to find a vehicle lodged in almost the same spot on the roof that had just been fixed.
"Very similar to our previous incident a few months ago," Dowdy said.
The driver was extracted from his car by first responders and transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Authorities do not know the cause of the accident at this time, though Dowdy said in a news conference that the way the roadway in front of Clay-Ray Hall curves lends itself to launching cars driving it at high speeds.
"In both the incidents, speed was definitely a factor," Dowdy said. "As far as this specific situation, we don't know if the subject was impaired or if he had a medical condition at the time causing the accident; that part is still under investigation."
Unless a medical condition was involved, the lieutenant said police will likely charge the driver with a crime.
Accidents like this aren't uncommon for the veterans hall, police say
While the recurrence of such a strange accident raised some questions about the location's safety, Dowdy pointed out that accidents of this caliber are not common in that spot.
"I've been here for 13 is only the second time I'm aware of (this happening)," he said, while also telling ABC News that a VFW representative confirmed this was the case in over 80 years of owning the property.
