Port Matilda Borough building damaged after drunk driver crashes truck into it, police say
Port Matilda Borough Council will be looking for a temporary space to conduct meetings after a pickup truck heavily damaged the borough building late Tuesday night.
Pennsylvania State Police at Rockview investigated a crash at 400 S. High St., Port Matilda, shortly before 11 p.m. Tuesday, according to a press release. The driver crashed their 2015 Ram 3500 pickup truck into the borough building, it stated.
The driver was under the influence of alcohol and was arrested for driving under the influence. No charges have been filed as of Wednesday morning.
Ida Lively, Port Matilda mayor, said the council meeting had ended shortly before the vehicle struck the building. Four council members, the borough secretary/treasurer and Lively were still in the building at the time of the crash.
“We were finishing up some administrative duties (signing checks, putting away paperwork and nameplates, etc.) before exiting,” Lively wrote in an email.
One of the borough council members who was still there is an EMT and provided immediate assistance to the driver of the vehicle, Lively said. The driver wasn’t hurt, she said, and police reported no injuries.
According to Centre County Emergency Alerts, there is heavy damage to the building. The Port Matilda Fire Company and Pennsylvania State Police responded to the crash. Alpha Fire Company also responded “with stabilizing jacks to shore up the building so that the vehicle could be removed,” Lively said. The scene was cleared at about 2:20 a.m. on Wednesday, she said.
The borough is currently looking for a temporary office space to conduct its meetings, she said. Other impacted entities are the Port Matilda Sewer Authority and the Upper Bald Eagle Halfmoon COG.
“The Port Matilda Fire Company has offered the use of their facilities in which to hold meetings. Public notices will be sent out once we have confirmed location/meeting space(s),” she wrote.
The investigation is ongoing.
