Driver Strikes Church in Middleton, Wisconsin (WI)
MIDDLETOWN, WI- Madison.com Writes that a driver crashed into a church this week in Middleton, Wisconsin. The impact caused significant damage to the Saint Bernard Catholic Church including, shattered stained glass windows and bricks and other debris being strewn across the structure.*
The church is located on Parmenter Street and University Avenue in Middleton's downtown area. The report states that overnight, a driver believed to have been under the influence of alcohol struck the building causing the destruction. Responders transported the driver to a local hospital for treatment following the crash. Police stated that the driver was heading eastbound on University Avenue when he veered across the centerline, drove through a vacant lot, and then struck a traffic light. After colliding with the traffic light, the driver drove over Parmenter Street and then struck the garden wall of the church before colliding with the building. Pieces from the car or left on the sanctuary floor. The debris included an emblem from a Volkswagen. The church serves a congregation of more than 1,500 people. It is not clear yet how much damage the driver caused.
The church recently began holding mass again following the shutdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Officials with the church are relieved that the terrible crash occurred when no one was inside of the building rather than during mass when it would have likely injured many of the parishioners. The stained-glass windows will be particularly difficult to replace. Surveillance cameras captured the incident on video. The church has since provided those videos to the Middleton police.
Drunk drivers kill more than 10,000 people every year across the United States. According to experts, alcohol leads to about ten percent of car-into-building collisions. Cars strike buildings more often than many people realize. These incidents kill about 500 people annually.
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Sources:
https://madison.com/wsj/news/local/crime-and-courts/person-hospitalized-after-crashing-into-st-bernard-s-church-middleton-police-say/article_64193256-2a5d-5110-a629-8049b13fe162.html
https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving
http://www.storefrontsafety.org/