Authorities in Florida say that charges may be pending after an historic building was badly damaged when it was hit by a truck over the weekend.
The building strike occurred around 3:15 a.m. on Sunday in Yeehaw Junction, Florida.
Fifty year old Illinois-based truck driver Mareo Cawley was hauling a load of orange juice northbound on U.S. 441 when he he said that he left the road because he was unable to see in the dark.
Cawley told WPTV, “When I got to that corner I couldn’t see the ground, I couldn’t see the lines or anything. It was too dark. I normally never travel at night but I wanted to get close to Jacksonville and I was trying to put myself into a good position.”
Cawley continued driving off the roadway until he crashed into the Desert Inn Bar and Restaurant, causing major structural damage.
The building has been out of use for more than a year, so no one was inside at the time of the crash.
No serious injuries were reported.
Cawley said that this was his first crash in 20 years.
The Florida Highway Patrol says that charges may be filed pending the results of their investigation.
When a tow truck removed the crashed truck from the building, the building partially collapsed.
According to the Osceola County Fire Rescue and EMS, the Desert Inn Bar and Restaurant was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1994.