SUV crashes into Harveys Lake police building

March 25--HARVEYS LAKE -- Moving day will need to come earlier than anticipated for the borough's police department, after a sport utility vehicle crashed into the old police station shortly before noon Thursday.

Police Chief Charles Musial said a woman driving north on state Route 415 toward the lake tried to avoid hitting a man pulling out of the borough building parking lot. Her SUV ricocheted into the middle lane of the road, then smashed into the front of the old police station, he said. The vehicle entered the lobby of the station, pushing in the front wall and hitting an officer's desk and a filing cabinet, causing what Musial called "significant damage."

"The main thing is, no one was hurt," he said.

Three people were taken to the hospital by ambulance to be checked out, but they were all right, Musial said. The woman had her two grandsons as passengers in the vehicle, he said.

Nobody was in the police station at the time of the crash, Musial said.

Borough council President Bill Hilburt said he and his wife were walking their dog, heading for the borough building to pick up some paperwork when Musial called him with the news. Musial, who was attending a hearing in front of Magisterial District Judge James Tupper in Kingston Township at the time of the crash, didn't have details at first.

"The whole time I was thinking, 'My God, right into the new station," Hilburt said, relieved to note that wasn't the case.

After years of trying to decide how to replace the police station, a remodeled bait shack that was not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, council opted to go with a modular building, at a cost of $233,700. A $78,220 state gaming grant and the borough's surplus covered the cost.

Groundbreaking was in October, and the borough's building inspector issued a temporary occupancy permit on Feb. 29.

But the police didn't plan to move into the new building so soon, Musial said.

"We weren't ready yet. We were doing a slow move," he said.

UGI had to turn the power off at the old police station, since the vehicle hit the breaker box and ripped all the wiring out, Musial said. The focus is on getting the new station set up for use, including getting the cable, Internet and phone transferred, he said.

"We're working on it. Everybody's helping out. We'll get there," Musial said.

Hilburt said the borough's insurance instructor will assess the damage to the old building.

Borough officials weren't sure what they were going to do with it -- either tear it down or use it for storage.

"This might have answered our question," Hilburt said.

[email protected], 570-821-2072

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