Car crashes into roof of veterans hall for the second time in 3 months: ‘They just got that fixed’
EXCELSIOR SPRINGS, Mo. (KCTV/Gray News) – A veterans hall in Missouri is having déjà vu after a second car crashed through its roof within three months.
The crashes happened at the Clay-Ray Veterans Hall on St. Louis Avenue in Excelsior Springs.
Excelsior Springs is located about 30 miles northeast of Kansas City.
The Excelsior Springs Police Department confirmed Wednesday morning that one person was injured after driving their car through the roof of the veterans hall.
Officials said this is the second time this type of crash has happened there, with the first occurring back in February.
People working at the building said they were about a week or so away from reopening after fixing damage from the last crash.
“They just got that fixed up,” Lt. Ryan Dowdy said, pointing to the roof. “I mean, literally the roof is brand new.”
In Wednesday’s crash, officers said they are still looking into whether the driver had a medical emergency or if impairment was a factor. The driver was reportedly able to walk himself to the ambulance before being taken to the hospital.
In the first crash, on Feb. 15, a sex offender from Kansas was trying to outrun police and crashed into the veterans hall roof during a chase.
Police said the 22-year-old fugitive suffered multiple broken bones, and two juvenile female engers also sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
The veterans hall sits below a roadway that is on a hill, making the roof parallel with traffic.
One woman who lives nearby said she doesn’t believe the street is the problem, but rather the drivers.
“If you drive the speed limit, it’s not an issue,” Lisa Reinhart said. “It’s 25 [mph speed limit] through here, so it shouldn’t be an issue unless you’re blatantly not listening to the speed limit.”
Reinhart said when she heard the crash on Wednesday, she initially did not expect it to be another collision at the veterans hall and couldn’t believe it happened again so soon.
“It sounded like a gas explosion going off,” she said. “It rattled the windows and everything. It was insane.”
Crews were already working to fix the roof – again – later Wednesday after the car was removed.
“It’s crazy,” said Chris Stull, the Clay-Ray Veterans Association president. “It’s seriously crazy.”
Stull said the damage puts a strain on the American Legion nonprofit organization to pay bills and make donations in the community. They rely on bingo nights to bring in money, for which dozens of people show up each week.
But without being open for bingo nights, the organization isn’t making any money.
Stull said despite the back-to-back crashes, they have no plans to move the hall to a different location. The American Legion has been at the location for over 100 years.
“We’re staying here,” Stull said.
They did, however, speak with city officials about putting up a barricade to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
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