On Sunday, Sept. 9, a car crashed into a commercial and residential building in the Village of New Paltz, leaving a large hole in the side of the building.
The collision took place at 19 North Front St., right on the corner of North Chestnut St. and North Front St. The building hit is the location of a local business, Vape Kingz vape shop and is also home to both upstairs and downstairs tenants.
The accident occurred when two cars were approaching the intersection and the first car was rear-ended. Instead of pressing the brake, the driver of the first car accidentally pressed the gas and rammed into the building, according to Cory Wirthman, Chief of the New Paltz Fire Department. As the car collided with the building, it broke directly into the bedroom of the downstairs tenant who was not home at this time. The tenant is being provided housing accommodations while repairs on his apartment are being made.
At 2:22 p.m. the fire department received the 911 call and rushed to the scene. Wirthman said, although the collision left a considerable hole in the building, no one was injured in the accident. Since the car did not hit a weight-bearing wall, the building was determined to be structurally sound. No immediate damage was dealt to the vape shop or any of the people inside. Along with the vape shop in the building, the upstairs tenants were minorly impacted by this event.
No employees or patrons inside Vape Kingz witnessed the accident but the shop owner, Kyle Timperio, was in the back office when the crash occurred. While he was filling out paperwork, he claimed he could feel the building shake as the car made impact.
“It all happened really fast,” Timperio said. “It was really an unfortunate accident. I ran downstairs to make sure the guy wasn’t home then made sure everyone was okay.”
At the fire department warned Timperio they might have to evacuate, however the fire marshall arrived and notified tenants that the building was still structurally sound.
The collision did not affect business to Vape Kingz in the long-term. There was a slight change in traffic in the area due to multiple police cars and fire trucks, which impeded traffic while emergency responders rushed to remedy the scene. Once the car was cleared and traffic resumed, business carried on as usual.
The hole currently has a patchwork job and is covered by plywood. After the collision, the property owner arrived at the scene and was told what he needed to do to repair the damages, Wirthman said. These repairs will be completed as soon as possible so the tenant can move back into that apartment.
The other tenants were unable to be contacted in time for print.
Damages will be paid for by the insurance company of the car that hit the building.
