Woman Crashes into Main St. Building

An SUV driven by a Lawrence woman crashed into and plowed through the Fred C. Church Insurance building located at 91 Main St. early Friday morning at approximately 6:40 a.m., police said. 

According to the incident report, Lawrence resident Kristen L. Perry, 41, was traveling north on Main Street when she looked down at directions while driving. When she looked up, she stated that she was headed straight for a "Yield to Pedestrians in Crosswalk" sign in the middle of the road.

In order to avoid hitting the sign, Perry then swerved into oncoming traffic. Upon realizing there was a car coming at her, Perry claimed she hit the brakes.

She then went onto a curb, hit a small tree, took out a cosmetic column on a building, and then drove completely into the insurance building, damaging an office area.

However, Patrolman Jason M. Dowd, the officer who reported to the scene and then created the incident report, believed Perry hit the gas, instead of the brakes, due to the severity of the crash. 

No one was injured in the crash, and all damages exceeded $1,000. 

Elm Street Auto towed the vehicle from the scene after it was deemed safe to remove it from the building by a building inspector. The office was closed for the remainder of the day.