Car veers off road, strikes church on west side of Indianapolis
Nov 24, 2024
INDIANAPOLIS — A car veered off the road and struck a church on the west side of Indianapolis on Sunday night.
Floyd Graham, the pastor at Canaan Baptist, said the driver that struck the church sideswiped one car and then hit his congregation's building, which is located off Arnolda Avenue and West Walnut Street.
"The driver of the car was coming down the street going west and sideswiped another car," Graham said. "It veered off and ran into the church."
Witnesses at the scene told Graham the driver that hit his church might have been drunk at the time of the crash. Graham said witnesses also told him the driver of the car left the scene on foot after the crash.
"Well, what I'd like to say for the driver is I hope he's not hurt," Graham said. "I pray that he's OK, but I also pray that he turns himself in to the authorities and tries to work this out."
Graham added that it's not uncommon for drivers to speed past his church and the other residences that are located nearby. Graham also said neighborhood residents have been asking the City of Indianapolis to install speed bumps in the area in an effort to try to get drivers to slow down.
"There's a lot of speeders running up and down this street right here," Graham said. "Some of the residents here have been asking for cars to slow down, and they want some of those bumper stops put in the street. But nothing has happened at this time."
According to Graham, Canaan Baptist Church had gotten a few renovations before the crash. He added that Saturday's incident won't stop his congregation from convening.
"It's going to put us in sort of like a setback for now," Graham said. "But we're still going to have service here and praise the name of the Lord."
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department has yet to make its report on the incident publicly available, so little additional information on the crash and the driver involved is currently known.