Truck takes out Mitchell Tractor window
Published 7:24 pm Tuesday, May 23, 2017
A two-vehicle accident sent a truck into the window of Mitchell Tractor in Washington.
The accident between a Chevy 1500 truck and a Nissan Crossover took place in the intersection of Bridge and Third streets at approximately 9:45 a.m.
“It was a two-car accident in the intersection, and when the truck hit the car, he continued through the intersection and into the side of the building,” said Steve Karle, the parts manager at Mitchell Tractor.
Karle said he was about 25 feet away, standing behind the parts counter with his back to the windows.
“I heard the smack, and just as I turned he hit the windows,” Karle said. “I knew when I heard it it was a car accident.”
Capt. William Chrismon of the Washington Police Department said Walter Williamson was driving the truck north on Bridge Street and struck the passenger side of the Crossover that Monica Hill was driving east on Third Street. Both drivers live in Washington.
The truck hit a 6-foot-by-11-foot window made of safety glass with tinting, which ensured the glass held together and broke out in a single piece, Karle said. He said it’s not the first time a car accident in the intersection has ended up hitting Mitchell Tractor.
“I’ve been here 20 years, and I’ve had every window on this side of the building broken at least once. We’re that close to Highway 17,” Karle said. “There’s a lot of accidents here. We average an accident, usually, one accident a month in this intersection.”
Chrismon said the intersection isn’t obstructed, and accidents usually occur there due to driver inattention. When asked if the intersection has more accidents than others, Chrismon responed: “For the volume of traffic, probably not. More than the average intersection? Probably so.”
Chrismon said, based on the investigation, Williamson was charged with failure to stop at a stoplight.