Dollar van crashes into Flatbush healthcare clinic, owner seeks answers from police
Surveillance video captured the moment the out-of-control van barreled into the clinic along Flatbush Avenue on July 4, causing significant damage to the building.
The owner of a Flatbush healthcare clinic is demanding answers after a dollar van crashed headfirst into her business on Independence Day, leaving extensive damage and raising questions about the driver's condition and the police response.
Surveillance video captured the moment the out-of-control van barreled into the clinic along Flatbush Avenue on July 4, causing significant damage to the building.
Clinic owner Lourdie Honore said she saw the crash footage on her phone and rushed to the scene. When she arrived, she said she observed the 47-year-old driver speaking with police officers.
Honore questioned why officers did not administer a breathalyzer test or make an arrest after empty alcohol bottles were allegedly found inside the vehicle.
“It is the Fourth of July. She crashes into my business. There is alcohol in the front seat, and police are telling me they cannot search, they are not allowed,” Honore said.
Honore said the presence of alcohol containers raised concerns, but that she has not received confirmation about whether the driver was impaired.
“No one knows if she was drunk or not. We saw alcohol in the car, but no breathalyzer was done to prove if she was drunk,” she said.
The crash left substantial damage inside the clinic. Pieces of the van remained lodged in the building days later as cleanup efforts continued.
“It’s destroyed. It’s just all destroyed,” Honore said.
Compounding the frustration, Honore said she had not received a police report number needed to begin the insurance claims process.
She says the first time she learned more information about the crash was when News 12 reached out to police directly about the incident.
Police told News 12 that the 47-year-old driver lost control of the vehicle after another car cut in front of her. The driver of the other car was taken to the hospital.
Police said the driver was issued two civil summonses for operating a vehicle without valid registration tags and without insurance.
The incident is under internal investigation, according to police.
News 12 also confirmed that the van was not registered with the city's Taxi and Limousine Commission, which regulates for-hire vehicles in New York City.
