Porter Library Crash: Man Hits Trees Outside Westlake Library

WESTLAKE, OH — In what has been a historically bad week for public property in Westlake, a 38-year-old Fairview Park man crashed his 2012 Buick Encore into a group of trees outside the Porter Library on July 26. The accident occurred just five days after a woman crashed her SUV into the shelter at Safety Town.

The driver of the Encore was passed out when police arrived at the scene. Officers had to break a window on the vehicle to pull the man out. Westlake Fire Department personnel then took the man to St. John Medical Center for treatment.

The man will be cited for operating a vehicle while intoxicated, reckless operation and open container. A bottle of cheap vodka was found in the vehicle. The man was not breathalyzed but a spokesperson for Westlake Police said the department plans on subpoenaing the man's blood-alcohol level from the hospital. (To stay up to date on local stories, subscribe to the Patch Westlake newsletter. As news breaks and the story develops, you will be the first to receive updates from Patch.)

The accident outside the library occurred five days after a woman drove into the shelter at Safety Town. In that incident, a mother coming to pick up her child forgot some basic rules of the road, lost control of her SUV, and crashed into the Safety Town shelter. Luckily, no one was seriously injured during the incident.

The woman lost control of her vehicle because her dog got loose and crawled under her feet, causing her to swerve around, hitting a railing outside the old Board of Education building, another car and finally crashing into the shelter.

Read more about the Safety Town accident here.

Photo from Westlake Police