A car crashed into a Starbucks at a busy intersection in Walpole, Massachusetts, Wednesday night, injuring one employee inside the store.
Walpole police officers and firefighters responded to the store, located at 985 Providence Highway Route 1, at Route 27, and found a car had careened through the coffee store’s outside patio, taking down the fence and hitting chairs, tables and umbrellas, before striking the building and slamming into the store.
Photos from the scene showed the storefront was pushed in, pulling the awnings downward, and there was shattered glass littering the area. Inside the store, photos showed the crash sent benches, tables and chairs flying into product displays, with bags of coffee grounds all over the floor.
Walpole Police Department/Facebook
A preliminary investigation shows the car was traveling south on Route 1 when it struck a utility pole as it approached the intersection with Route 27, causing the driver to lose control. The car continued through the intersection and struck the building.
One Starbucks employee who was inside the store at the time of the crash was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries, police said.
The driver, whose name has not been released, was not injured in the crash.
According to police, preliminary reports indicate that the driver was speeding prior to the crash. The police department’s crash reconstruction unit was notified and is investigating the facts and circumstances surrounding this incident.
Walpole police had issued a traffic advisory on their Facebook page, asking drivers to seek alternate routes until High Plain Street was reopened.
An Eversource crew also responded to the scene to repair a damaged pole, which resulted from the collision, police said.
An investigation is ongoing. Further details are not being shared at this time.