By Kim McDarison
A vehicle of unconfirmed make and model struck the west side of the Dwight Foster Public Library, 209 Merchants Ave., at about 1 p.m. Saturday.
Pictures taken at the scene show damage to a decorative column and a bicycle rack installed on the property along Merchants Avenue.
Fort Atkinson Fire Department Division Chief Tom Gerondale said Saturday that he and another firefighter responded in a non-emergent manner after being called to the scene around 1:13 p.m. by the Fort Atkinson Police Department. A police officer was already at the scene, he said.
Gerondale noted that department protocols require that the fire department respond whenever a car versus structure collision occurs to make sure there is no structural damage.
In the case of Saturday’s car versus building strike, he said, damage sustained to the library was cosmetic.
Gerondale said he could not verify any information about the vehicle or its occupant or occupants.
Firefighters did assist with removing a bicycle from underneath the car. The bike had been parked in the rack at the time of the collision, Gerondale noted.
No medical assistance was required at the scene, he said, adding: “This was a fairly minor accident.”
Gerondale said the bike was cut apart in order to free it from underneath the vehicle.
Firefighters were on the scene for about 15 minutes, he said.
Describing the accident, Gerondale said a vehicle backed into the library after backing over the curb and the bicycle rack.
Fort Atkinson Police Officer Ben Lindsey said that while he was the officer in charge Saturday afternoon, he was not on duty during the time of the incident.
Any comments about the incident would need to come from the department’s administration on Monday, he said.
This story may be updated.
Four photos above: A bicycle rack and a portion of the Dwight Foster Public Library are damaged Saturday after a car backs over the curb and into the structure. A Fort Atkinson Fire Department official said Saturday that the damage to the library was cosmetic. He described the incident as minor, and confirmed that no medical assistance was given on scene by the fire department. Chris Spangler photos.
A view of the west elevation of the Dwight Foster Public Library after sustaining what was determined by the Fort Atkinson Fire Department to be cosmetic damage on Saturday. Contributed photo/Luke Slocum.
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