Vehicle crashes into Swansea funeral home lobby during service

SWANSEA – A funeral service was interrupted Saturday morning when a vehicle crashed through the building of Waring-Sullivan Home of Memorial Tribute at Birchcrest, 189 Gardners Neck Road.

Swansea Police Sgt. Mark Foley said a 74-year old woman was driving the vehicle around 8:50 a.m. that jumped a curb, hit a column, and crashed into the funeral home lobby, and then into a gas fireplace that pushed a wall into the next room.

He said a greeter in the lobby was able to make it out of the way.

Foley said it was a small funeral service and no one was injured. The driver was taken to the hospital as a precaution.

“It could have been much worse,” Foley said. “Luckily, there weren’t a lot of people.”

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Foley said the crash is believed to have been a driver mishap in which the operator put her foot on the gas instead of the brake. She had been dropping someone off at the funeral home when the accident occurred.

Foley said a maintenance man at the funeral home estimated damages at roughly $50,000.

Email Deborah Allard at dallard@heraldnews.com