Car slams into detached garage in Charleroi alley
Charleroi firefighters were called out Thursday night to stabilize a detached garage in an alleyway in the borough after it was struck by a neighbor’s vehicle and appeared to be on the verge of collapsing.
Charleroi fire Chief Robert Whiten Jr. said they were dispatched about 9:15 p.m. after a motorist driving a sedan struck a house and then ricocheted across the alley in the 800 block of McKean Way, hitting the garage before bouncing back into the house and then driving into a support beam in the same garage.
Whiten said the driver, who lived on Meadow Avenue and was trying to park in his own garage in the alley, suffered a medical emergency at the time of the crash. Although he initially refused medical treatment at the scene, Rostraver EMS medics suggested that family members take him to an area hospital for precautionary reasons, which they did. Charleroi Area police spoke to the driver at the scene and do not expect to file charges, although his name and condition were not released.
While the house was not damaged despite being hit twice, Whiten said the crash severely damaged the three-bay garage and struck an SUV that was parked inside. Firefighters built a temporary stabilizing structure to keep the roof from collapsing and the front of the garage was boarded up. Whiten said he was not sure if the garage could be salvaged or if it would have to be demolished.
Firefighters were at the scene for about two hours while they stabilized the garage and cleaned up debris. They were assisted at the scene by Charleroi Area police officers and Rostraver EMS medics.