A landscaping truck crashed into the Taco Bell on South Illinois Avenue on Tuesday afternoon, March 22, 2016. (Photo by Oak Ridge Police Department)
Note: This story was updated at 5:48 p.m.
The Taco Bell on South Illinois Avenue is temporarily closed after a landscaping truck crashed into the building on Tuesday afternoon.
The crash was reported at about 2:10 p.m. Tuesday at 353 South Illinois Avenue. The Oak Ridge Police Department and Oak Ridge Fire Department both responded.
An Eastwood Landscaping truck crashed into the front of the building, a press release said. The driver of the vehicle was Joshua Tice, 25, of Knoxville. The cause of the crash was determined to be driver error, and no charges are being filed.
There were several patrons inside the restaurant at the time of the crash, but no injuries were reported, the City of Oak Ridge press release said.
Taco Bell will be closed for the remainder of the day due to the damage. No further information is available at this time.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
The Taco Bell on South Illinois Avenue is temporarily closed after a truck crashed into the building on Tuesday afternoon, March 22, 2016. (Photo courtesy Kayla Boone)
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Dave Smith says
Él queria Taco Bell
Angi Agle says
Any insight into how this happened? “Driver error” doesn’t really explain how one gets up enough momentum in a small parking lot to punch through a building.
Ray Evans says
I had the same question for the VW that drove into Dunkin Donuts.
johnhuotari says
Ray,
Based on what I remember from the two parking lots, I think, given the smaller size of the VW, that driver had a little more room in the parking lot, comparatively speaking, than the driver of the landscaping truck.
I’m not sure how the construction of the two walls compares. I didn’t take a close look at the Taco Bell wall.
Thank you,
John
johnhuotari says
Angi,
I have asked but don’t have any additional information yet. The most I have is driver error.
I would think the driver would have been jolted at least once and maybe twice when he hit the curb and then the sidewalk with enough force to crash the truck through the wall. Maybe he accidentally hit the gas at that point rather than the brake? I’m not sure.
Thank you,
John
Philip W Nipper says
My guess is that it is the same that causes many of our most deadly accidents today, ie. distracted drivers (cell phones) coupled with excessive speed. However in these cases, an unannounced menu change or the order speaker not working or the drivers just in a real hurry could have been contributing factors.
Dave Smith says
Did you notice the “HOW’S MY DRIVING SIGN” on the rear of the trailer?
I wonder if it was tacked on AFTER the accident, just for grins.
Angi Agle says
Excessive speed might make sense in an empty parking lot the size of Wal-Mart or Kroger, but how does one get up that much speed in a teeny-tiny parking lot like that Taco Bell or Dunkin Donuts? Especially in a landscaping truck???
Philip W Nipper says
“I hit the gas instead of the brake” scenario may have been the cause.