Updated: 5:04 p.m.Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2014 | Posted: 3:28 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2014

Downtown Middletownbuilding damaged in accident

By Rick McCrabb

Staff Writer

MIDDLETOWN — 

    A two-vehicle accident Wednesday afternoonsent two people to the hospital and severely damaged a downtown Middletown building.

    A dump truck and a Dodge Durango collidedat the intersection of First Avenue and South Clinton Street, sending the dumptruck into a light pole, then into a brick building at 28 S. Clinton St., according to the Sgt.Brian Bost from the State Highway Patrol. He said the preliminary investigationrevealed either the driver of the truck or the Durango ran the red light, though no eyewitnesses had come forward.

    He said both drivers were transported to Atrium MedicalCenter in Middletown with non life-threateninginjuries. There were no other people in the vehicles. Bost said troopers weregoing to interview the drivers sometime Wednesday night to determine who was atfault.

Hesaid the investigation is continuing.

    The front of the brick building, the formerZollett medical office, collapsed after it was struck by the dump truck thatstopped in the parking lot next door. The truck and the Durango were heavily damaged.

    The building is owned by Freedom CommunityDevelopment Corp. and soon after the accident occurred at 2 p.m., KatrinaWilson, CEO of the company, arrived to access the damage.

    She was praying that no one was seriouslyinjured in the accident. She said the building is insured.

    “Things can always be replaced but peoplecan’t,” she said.

    A Duke Energy crew shut off the power inthe area, and Middletownpolice officers rerouted traffic

Well it looks like we may have another empty lotdowntown.