Pickup crashes into car dealership
A nicotine craving may have caused a truck to smash into the Butler County Ford dealership about noon Wednesday.
Police at the scene said the driver of an older gray GMC Sierra was traveling northbound and had just crossed the Gen. Richard Butler bridge when he dropped his cigarette.
The driver lost control when he leaned over to retrieve it, crossed southbound traffic, and came to rest against the stone facing at the 100-year-old Ford dealership at the corner of Main and Wayne streets.
“We heard a boom when the tire popped coming over the curb and a crash when it hit the building,” said Gino Sabruno, general manager of the dealership.
He said less than 10 days ago, a crash occurred at the building's entrance when a southbound driver on Main Street swerved to miss a northbound vehicle that had turned in front of him onto West Wayne Street.
The line of leaked oil from that crash still was visible about 25 feet from the smashed-up truck Wednesday.
“It's a dangerous intersection,” Sabruno said.
He said he waits near the building's entrance for the crosswalk bell to ring before crossing the street instead of standing on the curb.
Cathy Glasgow, owner of Butler County Ford, agreed.
“Please pay attention to the lights and be careful,” Glasgow said.
Vehicles trying to beat an upcoming red light or scoot through a yellow light are the cause of most crashes, Glasgow said.
No apparent damage was visible inside the showroom, and the huge glass windows were not broken by the truck.
Because the truck's damaged wheel assembly still was resting against the stone facing between the sidewalk and the windows, Glasgow was unsure if there was any exterior damage immediately after the crash.
She said she called 911 after the driver asked for an ambulance, but a woman who identified herself as the driver's mother said at the scene that he did not go to the hospital.
“He went for cigarettes,” she said, explaining the absence of her son, 35, from the crash scene.
Sabruno said he hopes not to see anymore accidents at the intersection.
“I'd rather be selling cars,” he said.
