THUNDER BAY – Police are investigating Wednesday night’s dramatic crash that saw a vehicle slam through the walls of the Fort William Gardens as possibly being deliberate.
Thunder Bay Police Service officers are continuing their investigation but spokesman Chris Adams confirmed to tbnewswatch.com it appears likely the crash was intentional.
“It made what appears to be a very deliberate turn into the building,” Adams said on Thursday morning.
“(Investigators will) look at the scene itself, examine the pavement, look at the vehicle and usually are able in pretty quick order to determine if there was any intent to swerve or skid but in this case it appears the vehicle went pretty directly into the building.”
The car, which was being driven by a 45-year-old woman, was travelling eastbound on Miles Street shortly before it slammed into the southwestern corner of the building at the intersection of Miles and Vickers streets, right beside the landmark giant curling stone.
Adams did not provide specific details as to the motivations of the driver and said charges will be laid, though he would not say which ones she will be facing.
The woman was taken to hospital following the crash with minor injuries.
“The collision occurred at a point in the wall that was actually pretty fortuitous for the driver,” Adams said. “The vehicle hit the wall in a section that wasn’t too structurally supported and it appears the wall took most of the energy from the vehicle’s collision.”
Though the driver escaped with minor injuries, the 64-year-old facility, which hosts hockey games, concerts as well as community events such as the Shrine Circus and annual Folklore Festival, appears to have suffered significant damage.
The city’s engineering department is assessing the structural damage, while a washroom which was on the other side of the wall of the crash was heavily damaged.
