Elderly Jacksonville Driver Hurt After Car Strikes Downtown Building
Harry F. Long, 86, told officers he pressed the gas instead of the brake before his car destroyed the brick wall at 221 W. Morgan St.
Harry F. Long was driving east through the Elks Lodge parking lot shortly before 12:15 p.m. on March 17 when his vehicle kept moving and struck the southwest corner of the building at 221 West Morgan Street, crumpling the car's front end and tearing into the brick exterior wall.
Long, 86, of the first block of Jacobs Lane, told officers he had accidentally pressed the gas pedal instead of the brake. A witness watching the scene gave police a starker account, saying the vehicle did not appear to slow down before impact.
Jacksonville Police responded to the 200 block of West Morgan Street, where they found the vehicle with major front-end damage so severe it had to be towed. The building at 221 West Morgan, adjacent to the Elks Lodge parking lot, sustained significant damage to its brick exterior wall at the southwest corner where the vehicle made contact.
Long was transported to Jacksonville Memorial Hospital with minor facial injuries. No other injuries were reported.
As of the evening of March 17, no citations had been issued. Jacksonville Police said the incident remains under investigation, leaving open the question of whether Long will face charges once the review is complete.
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