Cinder block finally stops vehicle
Murphy – Officials must hire a contractor to repair a portion of the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office after a man nearly drove through the building last month.
A 60-year-old man, who may have been suffering from a medical issue, jumped the sidewalk with his vehicle and crashed into the side of the sheriff’s office on Regal Street.
“He hit the building hard enough to bow the cinder block and bust through the sheetrock on the inside of the building,” Sheriff Derrick Palmer said. “If it didn’t have cinder block, he probably would’ve ended up inside the building.”
The accident happened around 4:50 a.m. Sept. 20. Law enforcement officials didn’t know the man crashed into the sheriff’s building until they were dispatched to Fatback’s Citgo to investigate a motorist with two front flat tires doing “donuts” in the parking lot. Authorities initially believed the man was intoxicated, but further investigation revealed he was suffering from a medical issue.
Police believe the man unwittingly ended up at the sheriff’s office and crashed into the building while trying to turn around in the dead-end parking lot. They believe his front tires burst when he jumped the sidewalk.
In addition to the wall damage, the force of the crash caused the ceiling to shift and created cracks above the door frames of a few offices inside the building. Officials plan to spend about $3,500 to repair the damage. The motorist’s insurance will cover the expense.
Wells & West won the contract by bidding lower than Laney Construction to complete the project.