NewsSeptember 9, 2023
A compilation of 29 car-vs.-building collisions from Southeast Missourian reporting
A motorist crashed into Andy's Frozen Custard recently, making it the latest in a long line of vehicle-vs.-building collisions to be reported on by the Southeast Missourian. Of all the examples, there are no reports of fatalities but several people have been injured in these crashes. ...
A motorist crashed into Andy's Frozen Custard recently, making it the latest in a long line of vehicle-vs.-building collisions to be reported on by the Southeast Missourian.
Of all the examples, there are no reports of fatalities but several people have been injured in these crashes. The cause of the building collisions ranged from hitting the vehicle's accelerator instead of the brake, to distracted or drunk driving, to medical issues or the result of another collision. Interestingly, the recent Andy's incident is not the only collision involving an eatery that sells frozen custard. The list is not necessarily exhaustive, but among the local examples (dates are the date of publication, not necessarily the date of the collision):
Nov. 13, 1939
Two drivers and a person inside a building escaped injury when a collision of two motorcars crashed into the Woods Building on Frederick Street at Independence Street in Cape Girardeau. The building housed the Tom Summerlin beer establishment.
Oct. 31, 1948
A car crashed into the front of the Jackson Public Library building on Halloween.
Dec. 1, 1958
A 1957 Ford Fairlane 500 driven by Earl Crites Jr., 34, of Cape Girardeau crashed into Thompson's Drive-in. Crites said a minor collision with the car in front of him sent him toward the building.
March 25, 1965
Almost $4,000 damage was done to two cars and a building at the northwest corner of Broadway and Frederick Street; the force of the collision drove one of the cars into the building, which was owned by William C. Hartung and Mrs. Clara Huebel.
Jan. 18, 1968
A crash knocked out a flag pole, traffic signal and illuminated sign at the police department.
March 8, 1992
A Cape Girardeau Police Department vehicle collided with Clark Wheel Alignment Co., 430 Independence St., after Sgt. Bradley E. Moore tried to avoid a turning vehicle when he swerved into the building. Lt. Bob Ross said Moore, tried to avoid the car and "when he hit the curb, the car jumped up, and he just went right on into the building." Moore told a reporter he was only "banged up a little bit" from the collision. Moore was responding to a wreck that involved a vehicle that struck a utility pole and a Union Electric Building at Morgan Oak and Middle.
March 15, 1992
Four people were injured in a two-vehicle accident in which one of the cars crashed through the front of an insurance company office. The collision occurred at Missouri and Main streets when a northbound vehicle on Missouri Street, driven by Anna C. Barks, 49, of Jackson pulled away from a stop sign and into the path of an eastbound car on West Main Street driven by Sharon Botello, 36, of Jackson. As a result of the collision, Barks lost control of her vehicle, which crashed through the front of the Farmers Insurance Group office at 200 W. Main. The collision tore out the front door, broke a plate glass window and plowed through a counter and two desks. Three people inside the office, including two employees, were injured, as was Barks.
March 5, 1993
The Marquette Hotel, scene of an arson a day earlier, took another beating when a car crashed into a corner of the hotel. Police located the car's owner, William Hannah, about 15 minutes later. He was on foot about three blocks north of the scene. The late-model silver Ford Festiva was left on the sidewalk at the corner of Broadway and Fountain. Hannah, 21, told police that a man he met at the Playdium bar earlier that evening was driving the car. Hannah said he had never met the man before Thursday night and only knew that the man's name was Bob. No damage to the building was visible.
March 16, 1994
A car driven by Pat Edwards of Thebes, Illinois, crashed into a vacant building at Park and William streets. The building was owned by Springfield-Cape Girardeau Diocese. Police said the vehicle, which was traveling east on William Street, turned to avoid another car that was about to go into a car wash. It continued north across William and struck the building. Edwards was not injured.
Oct. 27, 1994
A pickup driven by Hubert Whitworth, 64, of Cape Girardeau crashed into A Step at a Time Preschool at 1003 Perry Ave. Had Kim Hagler not been cooking, she would have been in her office doing paperwork when Whitworth crashed through the wall. "I was on my way from the kitchen back to the office," Hagler said. "He crashed through the window and then drove off down the street. He looked dazed." No children were injured; most were downstairs napping. The front of the preschool building sustained significant damage. Support posts and the front overhang were leaning to one side. Whitworth was taken into custody and charged with leaving the scene of an accident. Whitworth told police he passed out before hitting the preschool and the tree.
July 18, 1996
A car driven by an elderly Cape Girardeau woman swerved from the road at high speed and crashed into the building housing SEMO Video, a video rental store, and Image Plus, a hair salon, at 1031 Broadway. The car, which was totaled, knocked the pole into the building, smashing bricks loose. The car was driven by Genevieve Angle, after describing the sensation that her brakes failed. Genevieve and her husband, Jessee, were taken on stretchers to the emergency room but were released that day.
Feb. 4, 1998
Paul Bollinger crashed his car through the front window of Jones Drug Store in Jackson when his foot slipped off the brake and onto the accelerator. The car jumped the curb and plowed into the left side of the then-127-year-old building.
April 1, 1999
Emergency personnel worked to free people trapped in debris after a car driven by Ruby W. Connor, 86, of Cape Girardeau crashed through the front door of the Corner Pub at Independence and Frederick streets. Two patrons of the bar were trapped briefly but were not injured. Connor had a minor injury. Cape Girardeau police said Connor was traveling westbound on Independence when her vehicle was struck by a northbound vehicle driven by David W. Erlbacher, 59, of Cape Girardeau.
June 27, 2004
A vehicle driven by a Jackson woman, who police declined to identify at the time, crashed into the garage doors of a brick duplex at 539 and 543 Broadridge Drive in Jackson.
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May 26, 2006
A multivehicle wreck on Interstate 55 sent an elderly driver across two lanes of traffic and across an outer road, where she eventually crashed into the Antique Centre Mall in Benton, Missouri, where the car came to a stop 42 feet inside the store. The crash interrupted a Red Hat Society party taking place at the building. Driver Rosie Young was treated for her injuries and released the same day. Several antiques, including a mid-1800s sofa bed and a china cabinet were destroyed during the incident, which a Missouri Highway Patrol investigator called one of the Top 5 strangest car collisions he'd ever seen.
Jan. 22, 2010
Homeowner Joe Margrabe had to find a different place to live after a car crashed through his house at the intersection of Themis Street and Pindwood Lane. The building collision was caused by an initial collision between Jonathan Popp and another woman, whose name was not released at the time of the wreck. The woman received a ticket for failure to yield, and Popp was cited for not having a license or car insurance.
July 10, 2010
A blue 1995 Jeep Cherokee, which had struck a parked vehicle, veered off course and crashed into a house at 215 N. Sprigg St. The driver was distracted by her radio, according to a Cape Girardeau police officer. The impact knocked a hole in the house near a window, taking out half of a shutter and exposing the inside of the building, which appeared unoccupied. The driver was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, hitting a legally parked car and not having a valid driver's license.
Feb. 25, 2011
A 56-year-old woman and her 30-year-old passenger crashed into a building at 333 N. Main St. The driver was transported for minor injuries. Names of the motorists were not released by police at the time.
October 16, 2011
A motorist crashed into the Discovery Playhouse children's museum on Broadway, breaking two large windows in the front of the building. No one was injured, and no equipment was damaged. The driver of the vehicle was arrested, but the name of the driver was not known at the time of the newspaper report. The wreck occurred as the playhouse was trying to open a new exhibit.
Aug. 8, 2012
A driver who was not identified collided into the Southfork Lighting business at 495 Kell Farm Drive. The driver was said to have hit the accelerator instead of the brake. The collision shattered the glass entrance.
Dec. 23, 2012
Ameren crews worked to seal up a strong gas leak after a car and its three occupants crashed into a building on Middle Street between Broadway and Independence. The names of the driver and the occupants were not released, but a police officer's aid the driver was leaving the Trinity Lutheran Church parking lot and hit a curb, which caused the driver to accidentally step on the accelerator.
Jan. 17, 2013
Reflections Styling Studio, 715 Broadway, was damaged after a car stuck the front of the building. A driver, not identified at the time, parked on the street mistook reverse for drive and crashed into the building.
April 18, 2013
Doris Wilkinson, 81 at the time, was unhurt when she crashed into Save-A-Lot at 121 S. Sprigg St. "I couldn't stop my car. It just took off," Doris Wilkinson said after the crash. "I guess the brakes wouldn't work; I don't know what." Wilkinson's son confirmed her account that it appeared a mechanical problem caused the crash. The building suffered only cosmetic damage.
July 21, 2013
One person was taken to a hospital for precautionary reasons after a motorist, who was not identified, crashed into the Photography by Carrie building at 2117 Broadway. The dark green Chevrolet Lumina took out a pillar supporting a porch awning, but there was no significant damage to the building.
Jan. 12, 2014
An 81-year-old driver crashed into Aldi at 2145 Independence St. The woman, who was not named, said she hit the accelerator instead of the brake, sending her into the store. After the collision, the woman went on to shop inside the store. No one was injured.
April 23, 2015
The Check Into Cash store on William Street was damaged when the driver of a white Kia Soul hit the accelerator instead of the brake. Neither the driver nor the lone employee inside the building at the time of the crash was hurt. The crash shattered glass, but the structure of the building was not significantly damaged.
Jan. 22, 2021
For the second time, Jones Drug Store in Jackson was struck by a car. The motorist, who was not named, was having a "possible medical issue" which caused the collision, according to police accounts. Surveillance showed the woman's car, a white Lincoln MKX, crashing through the front door and into the front counter, narrowly missing a customer. No one was injured.
Jan. 18, 2023
An unidentified driver who sustained minor injuries crashed into a home in the 1400 block of Big Bend Road in Cape Girardeau. Police reported the home was "pretty heavily damaged". The vehicle was towed from the scene.
March 3, 2023
A school bus came to a rest against the front porch of a house at the corner of Themis Street and North West End Boulevard, following a collision with another vehicle. There were no significant injuries.
--Southeast Missourian librarian Sharon Sanders contributed to this report.
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