Crime & Safety
Driver: I Must've Been Sleeping When Car Crashed Into Dunkin Donuts
Two customers in the Main Avenue store were struck and taken to Norwalk Hospital.
Update 1:20 p.m., Monday:
Police issued traffic citations to Jorge Alvarado, 30, of 25 Jennifer Pl., Bridgeport after his car crashed into the Dunkin Donuts shop at 195 Main Ave. early Sunday morning.
Two men who were sitting at a table by the window when the car came through the plate-glass window and wall were conscious and alert when they were taken to Norwalk Hospital. A police officer at the scene when the crash happened said the men had been thrown across the floor. The officer immediately radioed in a report at 2:32 a.m.
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One complained of shoulder pain and the other of lower back pain. They were taken to Norwalk Hospital for treatment.
There was no evidence that Alvarado was intoxicated when the crash happened, police said. He told police he was tired since he had been up for 24 hours and therefore must've fallen asleep.
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Alvarado, who had been driving north on Main Avenue, had crossed the oncoming-traffic lanes before his Nissan Maxima barreled into the store, which is at the intersection of Main and New Canaan avenues.
He could not produce an insurance card for police, who charged him with driving without insurance, reckless driving and failure to drive in the proper lane.
Police are reviewing a store video of the incident. A manager for the Dunkin' Donuts store declined to release the tape or comment on the matter.
Original article, Sunday:
A car burst through the front window of the Dunkin Donuts store at Main and New Canaan avenues at about 2:30 a.m. Sunday.
Two men who were sitting at a table by the window were struck by the car and tossed across the floor. Both were taken by ambulance to Norwalk Hospital.
Deputy Fire Chief Edward Prescott said they were conscious and talking to the paramedics evaluating their injuries.
The driver of the car was trapped by a narrow wall of cinder blocks that fell against the driver's side of his car. He was freed by firefighters.
He complained of a hand injury and was able to walk to an ambulance.
Investigating Officer Michael Cote said he would be going to the hospital to get the driver's name.
The car, a 2003 Nissan Maxiuma SE, is registered in Bridgeport.
Preliminarily, police said it appeared the driver was northbound on Main Street, and when he reached the intersection with New Canaan Avenue, veered left, went diagonally through the intersection, and then into the front of the store.
Prescott said the building was evaluated by firefighters and the city's assistant building inspector and found to be structurally sound.
The store's owner, Jim Caim, said he had a maintenance crew coming in to clean up and make repairs so it could remain open for business.
