Drunk Driver Crashes Through St. John Garage
On Wednesday December 16 at about 7:45 pm, St. John Police were dispatched to the 9700 Block of Olcott Ave to investigate a report that a vehicle struck a house in that area.
On arrival, officers observed a 2011 GMC Acadia that had apparently crashed into a garage causing significant damage to the garage and a vehicle housed inside of the garage.
The driver of the vehicle, a 61 year old male from St. John, told officers that he had a few drinks at a bar and then stopped to pick up some food and was headed home when he apparently blacked out and then realized that he crashed into someone’s home when he woke up.
A witness who was travelling directly behind the man’s vehicle told officers that she saw the vehicle abruptly turn, drive through the front yard of a residence and then crash into a garage, Police told RNS.
The Crown Point Fire-Rescue’s Technical Rescue team was called as well due to a possible structural collapse. The specially trained firefighters on the Technical Rescue Team were able to quickly and safely stabilize the structure, which allowed the vehicle to be removed and the homeowner to salvage personal property, according to Lt. Ryan Cusack.
Crown Point Fire-Rescue’s Technical Rescue Team is trained to handle situations including structural collapse, trench collapse, machinery entrapment, and rope rescue.The team includes members from MABAS 207 and District 1 (Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Jasper, and Newton Counties) fire departments.
There were no injuries and the driver, who failed field sobriety testing and later failed a chemical breath test was taken to and lodged in the Lake County Jail.
