A routine evening at a Starbucks in Walpole was interrupted by a sudden crash as a car, traveling at high speed, veered off Route 1 and slammed into the side of the coffee shop, according to the Boston Globe. The collision resulted in minor injuries to an employee who was inside the establishment at the time of the incident, Walpole Police detailed in a statement.
The vehicle, identified by police as a black Dodge Challenger with a Florida license plate, struck a utility pole before losing control and careening into the Starbucks on the corner of Providence Highway (Route 1) and High Plain Street, the incident occurred on Wednesday evening and caused significant structural damage, and left the musical chairs and decorations littered amidst glass debris as shown in photographs on social media but remarkably, no other injuries have been reported, the WCVB disclosed dashcam video capturing the vehicle moments before it impacted the building, with the car appearing to be on two wheels.
The affected Starbucks, situated within the same shopping plaza as the Big Y supermarket, was immediately closed following the accident which took place just before the store's typical closing time of 8 p.m. High Plain Street was temporarily shut down as emergency crews and Eversource attended the scene to manage the after-effects of the high-speed crash and repair the downed utility pole, the Boston Globe stated.
"It jumped the curb over in front of the gas station and there's mulch and debris in the road there, traveled across the Route 1 intersection and then jumped the curb, went straight into the side of the Starbucks," a witness recounted their observation of the vehicle's erratic path to WCVB's John Atwater. Police have not yet released information on the cause behind the driver's loss of control or divulged whether or not any charges will be brought forth as the investigation is still ongoing.
