Las Vegas police have detained a man after he drove his pickup truck through the glass entry doors at the Stratosphere resort.
The incident occurred just before 8pm Wednesday, and according to a Las Vegas police officer, a 40-year-old man argued with someone in the valet area of the resort before crashing his silver Ford F-150 pickup truck into two sets of glass entry doors. The truck came to a stop on the marble floor just inside the front entry to the casino, in front of a four-step stairway.
According to witnesses, the truck entered the valet area facing Las Vegas Boulevard and then veered sharply to the right, through the entrance to the casino. Witnesses said that the driver got out of the truck “like nothing happened” and that “he was angry.” He was taken from the scene by Metro Police, and within an hour of the collision, the truck was hauled away and the mess was nearly cleaned up. Repairs are expected to be complete this afternoon.
No one was injured in the collision, and police are currently investigating whether it was intentional or an accident.
Meanwhile, the driver is facing felony charges for cocaine possession and misdemeanor charges for driving under the influence (DUI) and reckless driving.
In an accident such as this, it is extremely fortunate that no one was injured. A valet area is a place where there are not only a number of vehicles but numerous pedestrians and valet employees who could have been struck by an out-of-control vehicle. Resort guests and casino patrons could have also been injured, had they been standing at or near the glass doors when the truck barreled through.
The fact that the driver is facing DUI and cocaine possession charges shows that law enforcement believes that he was under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs at the time of the accident. These substances can significantly impair judgment and can also have a negative impact on motor skills, vision and reaction time. Although no one was injured in this particular accident, drunk driving accidents account for about one-third of all traffic fatalities in the U.S. each year.
Drunk and drugged drivers place everyone on the road at risk, and in Las Vegas this typically includes pedestrians as well. At Shook & Stone, we represent injured drivers, passengers, pedestrians, casino patrons and hotel guests in all types of traffic accident cases, including car accidents, truck accidents and taxi accidents. If you would like to discuss your right to compensation and your options in seeking justice in the wake of a serious crash, please do not hesitate to call our firm. A Las Vegas injury attorney may be able to help you take the right measures to pursue the best possible result in your case.
