For the second time in a mere three months, a vehicle has collided with the Clay-Ray Veterans Memorial Hall in Excelsior Springs, Missouri. This occurrence happened on Wednesday morning, damaging the very section of the roof that had been repaired after the first incident.
Reports indicate that emergency personnel were dispatched to 208 Veterans Memorial Drive just before 7:30 a.m. There, they discovered a vehicle that had deviated from its course on Sycamore Street, ending its journey on the building’s roof.
According to Lt. Ryan Dowdy of the Excelsior Springs Police Department, “The two incidents, despite their striking similarity, were distinct.” He explained, ‘One was during a police chase from a driver trying to evade capture; the other was possibly due to a medical condition.'”
Although the vehicle did not fully penetrate the roof as in the earlier incident, the force of the collision ejected the car’s engine, which came to rest near the building’s flagpole.
Dowdy noted that while the incident is indeed dramatic, it’s currently being treated as a traffic accident. “If during that investigation we determine that a crime has occurred and believe there is probable cause to support charging an individual, we will not hesitate to file those charges if applicable,” he stated.
The February crash resulted in arrests and charges after a 22-year-old man crashed while evading police during a traffic stop. That incident left two teenage passengers seriously injured, while the driver incurred non-life-threatening injuries.
The Clay-Ray Vets Club, which manages the building, had been working on restoration and rebuilding efforts following the February crash, according to their Facebook post. This raises important questions about the safety of the location.
In conclusion, the investigation into the latest crash continues, with authorities yet to release details about the driver or additional information regarding the incident. We. will keep you posted if there are any updates, but from the looks of it, this was an accident.
