Swansea funeral home closed for repairs after car crashes into building

SWANSEA — The funeral home that a vehicle crashed through on Saturday is expected to remain closed for the remainder of the week as the building undergoes repairs.

A car drove through the lobby of Waring-Sullivan Home of Memorial Tribute at Birchcrest at about 8:50 Saturday morning after the 74-year-old driver mistook the gas pedal for the vehicle’s break. No one was injured during the crash.

Erica DeNinno, the business’s managing funeral director, said repairs are ongoing but wants area residents to know the funeral home will soon be continuing normal operations.

“We want people to know that we’re still here to service the community,” she said.

DeNinno explained that the majority of the damage to the building was cosmetic and that repairs are already ongoing.

“Construction is going to move quite quickly. Fortunately, there were no major structural damages,” she said.

Because Waring-Sullivan Home of Memorial Tribute at Birchcrest had no funeral services planned for this week, DeNinno said no ceremonies had to be rescheduled or relocated because of the crash.

If repairs take longer than expected, the funeral home is redirecting potential customers to other local and affiliated businesses, including their Somerset and Fall River locations, and the Wilbur-Romano Funeral Home in Warren, Rhode Island.

Saturday’s crash took place while a small service was being held at the funeral home. The vehicle’s driver was taken to the hospital as a precaution and no charges have been filed against them. According to town fire officials, she had been at the funeral home to drop someone off.

DeNinno was unable to say how much repairs to the building will cost. The Swansea Fire Department estimated the crash caused roughly $50,000 in damage.