Racine City Hall car crash, driver flown to hospital
RACINE, Wis. - A reckless driver crashed into Racine City Hall and was flown to a hospital in critical condition Saturday, Aug. 5.
Police said officers were walking near 10th and Villa when they saw the driver run a stop sign around 6 p.m. Those officers then went back to their squad to try to catch the Dodge Charger and conduct a traffic stop.
The driver sped through the residential area, police said, and ran several more stop signs before officers lost sight of the vehicle.
Moments later, it was reported that the car crashed into City Hall.
Car crash outside Racine City Hall (Courtesy: Brian Bruce)
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Police said the driver, 58, had to be extricated by the fire department. He was taken to a Racine hospital and eventually airlifted to a Milwaukee hospital.
The damage to city hall was substantial, police said. Several large blocks were pushed into the building and others were cracked. A lower-level window was destroyed. There was also damage to a boulevard tree, city garbage can and streetlight.
Viewer photos of the scene showed significant damage to the car, as well, with the roof seemingly sheared off.
Kelly Hansen owns Kelly's on 6th just across the street from City Hall.
"Too much speeding on this road, especially next to City Hall and the police station right there," said Hansen.
Around 6 p.m. Saturday, Hansen heard the commotion.
"I heard the cops flying by," he said. "I had a few customers that went across the street, checked it out."
When they walked outside, they saw the destruction.
The driver was the only one hurt, but Hansen said someone else easily could have been.
"Even just some people walk with their dog, just there, like, before you got here," said Hansen. "I’m thinking if they were there (Saturday), that would be terrible. Terrible."
Racine City Hall car crash
He said something needs to be done to crack down on speeding before someone else does get hurt.
"Milwaukee has the same problems," said Hansen. "They’re looking at that. It should be looked at here, too."