DUI driver runs car into old building at South Lake Drive and Railroad Avenue in Lexington

Lexington, SC (Paul Kirby) – A driver who has now been arrested for driving under the influence, ran their car off the road and through the front of the old train station building at the intersection of South Lake Drive and Railroad Avenue in Lexington Saturday night. The collision occurred at about 9:20 p.m. and left the vehicle inside the boarded-up building that has been a Lexington landmark for decades.

The first callers who reported the collision placed the wreck in the 700 block of South Lake Drive right at Cinnamon Hills Lane. When the first arriving police officers from Lexington arrived, they found the car had missed the curve just before that quiet neighborhood and crashed into the building where it came to rest. They also reported a strong smell of natural gas emitting from the structure which prompted firefighters to request a specially equipped hazardous materials truck and team. Eventually, firefighters were able to protect the building and they determined that gas was not leaking and there was no danger of an explosion. During this time that teams were checking for a gas leak, South Lake Drive was shut down and traffic was detoured around the scene.

According to the Lexington Police Department, the driver of the vehicle that crashed, was placed under arrest for driving under the influence. This is the second DUI collision in the same vicinity in two consecutive weekends. The individual from Saturday night's wreck was booked into the Lexington County Detention Center as was the one who crashed last weekend.