An Ohio woman was due in court this week following her alleged involvement in a truck accident that endangered the lives of 12 residents of an assisted living building in Mentor. According to investigating officers, the woman driving the truck drove over a curb, into a parking lot, and struck a fence and dumpster before driving into a bedroom in the care facility. Police claim that the woman then backed her car out of the building and attempted to flee the scene of the accident.

Officers and rescue crews were called to the scene on reports of smoke billowing from the facility at around 9 p.m. Although the vehicle involved in the accident was no longer on the scene, police located the truck a shortly thereafter. Firefighters were the first on the scene, followed by the Mentor city police department.

While all 12 residents of the facility were present in the building at the time of the accident, only one resident needed to go to a local hospital for what authorities called non-serious injuries. The other residents were either transported to alternative assisted living facilities in the local area, or picked up by concerned family members. Firefighters returned to the site this week to determine if the building was stable. Until the building inspector can confirm the safety of residents staying at the facility, it will remain closed.

According to police, the woman driving the truck had also struck two other vehicles earlier in the day, both in the local area. There are no reports as to whether alcohol or drugs were a contributing factor in the accident.

Source: NewsNet5.com, "Truck crashes into assisted living building," Mike Vielhaber, Oct. 3, 2011