A fiery crash occurred in Colonie, NY on the night of Friday, October 29 at about 11:00 p.m. The auto accident had devastating effects.
One witness, who lives across the street from Blessings Tavern, said she heard a loud noise that was similar to that of a car accident or an explosion. According to Colonie police, a car crashed into a truck that was parked adjacent to Blessings Tavern on Watervliet-Shaker Road. The force of the collision caused the car to move underneath the truck and hurled both vehicles through the wall of the tavern, thereby starting a fire.
A witness described a person running from the building as being entirely consumed by flames. The operator of the car was reportedly 18-year-old Michael Carr, who faces the following charges:
- Vehicular assault
- Reckless endangerment
- Driving while ability impaired (DWAI) by drugs
He was transported to Albany Medical Center, as were the cook, one customer, and the passenger of the car. According to authorities, the injured passenger was Niko Dinovo, who is 16 years old. After being treated at the hospital, Carr was subsequently flown to the Westchester Burn Unit.
The bartender who was working that evening described the scene as very scary and said that she was in shock. A neighbor indicated that many regulars frequent Blessings, which has been in the community for a very long time. He compared the atmosphere to that of the fictional “Cheers” bar in Boston.
In light of the recent tragedy, the community of Colonie NY is now coming together and hoping that the victims fully recover from their injuries.
If you were injured in a motor vehicle accident due to the negligence or reckless driving behavior of another individual, call the personal injury attorneys at Proner and Proner.