MINNEAPOLIS — Damage is described as extensive at a northeast Minneapolis art business after a truck smashed through the side of the building Wednesday afternoon.
Images from 700 E. Hennepin Ave. show the truck embedded in the side of the Supply Studio, described as a creative workspace that "provides a collaborative environment for artists and entrepreneurs to work on projects and connect with like-minded professionals."
Xcel Energy, which owns the truck, says the driver was in a construction zone when the passenger side of the vehicle made contact with a "newly installed concrete base structure," sending it careening into the front of the building. That driver was described as dazed but uninjured and no injuries were reported inside the building either, although Supply Studio owner Jeffrey Siegel says the truck's bumper came to a stop about seven or eight feet from where he was standing.
"I was on my way to lunch. I turned to the door. I heard a large bang. I turned around and there was a truck in my building right behind me," Siegel told KARE 11's Samie Solina. "There was a very large boom, a lot of dust instantaneously. The driver got out and was dazed. I immediately opened some doors because there was so much dust in the air."
Witness Charlie Callahan said he noticed the commotion, came over and saw the truck sticking through the wall of the building he drives by every day, a structure he calls "beautiful."
"It looks like they were avoiding some cones and there’s confusion with construction, and they probably overcorrected their turn and went through the side of the building," Callahan speculated, adding he is grateful no one was hurt.
Minneapolis police say the impact caused "a partial collapse" of the structure. City engineers arrived on site to assess the integrity of the building before the Xcel truck could be safely removed.
It is unclear whether a citation will be issued against the driver of the Xcel truck.