Crime & Safety

Man Crashes Through Gymnastics Training Center; No Injuries Reported

The pickup driver was putting his shoes on while driving and is suspected of being on prescription drugs at the time of the accident, police say.

Police will have to wait six to eight weeks for results of toxicology reports on a 33-year-old Lenox Township man who crashed his pickup through a brick wall at a busy Rochester Hills gymnatics school on Wednesday night.

No one was injured in the incident at , located in an industrial park area off Crooks Road. 

Deputies from the were called to the scene at 6:02 p.m. Wednesday. According to a sheriff's office report, the driver was taken to McLaren Hospital in Pontiac after the incident to have his blood drawn. "Based on statements made to deputies" they suspected the effect of prescription drugs caused him to drive through the wall. 

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Captain Michael Johnson of the Rochester Hills substation said the man was on his way to work nearby and was "trying to put his shoes on while driving" when he crashed his truck. 

Witness photos show the truck wedged halfway into a gym full of mats, beams and other training equipment. A wall of trophies is nearby.

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The incident happened between classes.

Witness Ann-Marie Grant-McCardell told Rochester Patch her 7-year-old's class had just left the area before the truck hit. 

Witness Karen Holt said her daughter was in the gym with her team and she was in the waiting room when it happened. "It was truly a freak accident," Holt said. "The girls were all immediately moved by staff to a separate gym and the police were on the scene quickly to handle the driver."

Hundreds of children train at the gym on any given day. The center has been training gymnasts for more than 25 years. The students often line up along the walls for drills during classes.

"Thankfully, the summer schedule went into effect on Monday, so there were only a couple of teams still there," witness Jennifer Hubbard said. "Had this happened a week earlier, the news of no injuries would likely not be."


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