Total Loss
Figures in St. Mark's Lutheran Church's Nativity scene lay battered and broken Thursday after a vehicle crashed into the structure Wednesday night.
The porcelain wise men, Mary, Joseph and even the animals sustained damage. The only figurine undamaged was baby Jesus, which is not placed in the scene until Christmas Eve, according to the Rev. Al Towberman, senior pastor at the church on 201 W. Jefferson St.
Towberman described the damage as a total loss.
“It had been destroyed,” Towberman said. “It'll all have to be replaced.”
Mary Ellen Tack, parish administrator, and John Lingenfelter, the church's head custodian, found the damaged scene Thursday morning, two days after constructing the annual display.
“We put the figurines in on Tuesday,” Lingenfelter said.
Lingenfelter said visible evidence, including tire marks and slung mud, led them to believe it was a vehicle accident.
“It looked like they tried to stop on the pavement,” Lingenfelter said.
Tack said she notified city police, but the department was already aware of the accident.
“They knew about it before we did,” Tack said.
According to police, Heather Frederick, 45, of Slippery Rock, and Travis Rattigan, 31, of Butler were both traveling west on Jefferson Street, shortly before 7 p.m. Wednesday.
Frederick, driving a 2013 Honda Ridgeline, made a left-hand turn from the right-lane and her car clipped the Nissan Versa driven by Rattigan, according to police reports.
The collision forced Rattigan's car into the Nativity scene, police said.
Both drivers stopped at the scene.
Rattigan posted a nighttime photograph of the scene, which included the car lodged in the Nativity scene.
“Just got cut off and almost hit a pole,” an excerpt of the Facebook post said. “Thankfully, there was a Jesus manger display to stop the car before hitting the church. Thank you God for keeping my wife and I safe. We're a little banged up, but we'll live.”
Towberman said someone told him about the details in the Facebook post and he was glad for the safety of all involved. He said the situation is now in the hands of the police and the insurance company.“We are grateful that he and no one else were injured,” Towberman said.Towberman said the scene will take time and money to replace, and it was unclear whether the money from insurance would cover the complete cost. He said the figurines were custom ordered from Italy and take time to make and ship.“It's not something that can happen quickly,” he said.Once ordered, it could take three months for the pieces to arrive, according to Towberman.Towberman said the pieces also held sentimental value as they were purchased and dedicated to God by members of the church six years ago.“It was a full set,” he said.Towberman said the scene had given many members and nonmembers alike a glimpse of the true meaning of Christmas.“The message will continue to be that God has given us the gift of Jesus and has given us the gift of joy for all of us being united as people,” Towberman said. “It really has reached people with a message of hope and God's love for us all.”
