A Man Has Died In A Single-Vehicle Crash Into The Lyric Theater
A man suffering from a medical emergency has died in a single-vehicle crash after driving his vehicle into the historic Lyric Theater earlier this month. Details pertaining to the nature of the medical emergency has not yet disclosed to the public.
The Miami Herald reports that the accident happened at approximately 5:00 a.m. on Thursday, July 16th, at 819 N.W. Second Avenue in Miami’s Overtown neighborhood.
According to a statement given by a spokesperson for the Miami Police Department, an African-American man in his mid-40s appears to have suffered a medical emergency before crashing his car into a pole and then into the building.
City officials said that the man worked as a longshoreman at the Port of Miami, but declined to release the man’s identity at the time of the report.
“We don’t know what the condition of his was when he struck the pole initially,” said City of Miami Police spokesperson, Kenia Fallat.
Police investigators and city building inspectors believe the initial crash with the pole outside of the theater possibly prevented the crash from causing any real structural damage to the theater that was built in 1913. The venue once featured performers such as Duke Ellington, Aretha Franklin, and poet Langston Hughes.
According to a separate report filed by the Miami Herald, traffic for a portion of Second Avenue from Eighth Street to Ninth Street was rerouted. At the same time, the crash scene was investigated by police. Police reopened the streets later that day.
The accident is still currently under investigation.