Three injured in truck-into-building crash
Three people were injured, one fatally, after a pickup truck crashed into a Cape Coral pool hall Monday afternoon.
Tracy Marie Booker, 52, and Linda Girard, 58, were injured in the 5 p.m. crash at Diamond Billiards, 1242 S.W. Pine Island Road and transported to a local hospital. Ronald P. Gravel, 60, who was pinned against the bar, was also transported. He died from his injuries.
The driver of the pickup, William Henry Gulliver, 75, of St. James City, was transported to a local hospital for observation. He was not injured, according to police.
Cape Coral Police Department, Cape Coral Fire Department, and EMS responded to the single-vehicle crash.
Responders found that a large Ford F-250 Pickup truck had crashed into the business. Cape Coral Police Department Patrol, Major Crash Investigator, Forensics, Victim Advocate, and Public Affairs also responded to assist.
According to police:
The pickup was parked in the parking lot of Diamond Billiards, facing the building. The driver, Gulliver, entered the vehicle and, after several minutes, drove forward at a high rate of speed. The truck drove through the front windows of the business, through the interior, and caused the front of the vehicle to strike the main bar area head-on. Meanwhile, three patrons were seated at the bar directly in the vehicle’s path. The truck struck all three, with two being trapped between the bar and vehicle.
Gravel and Booker were trauma- alerted to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. Booker is listed in stable but serious condition. Girard, who was subsequently transferred to another hospital, incurred injuries described as “minor.”
“This crash is alcohol-related,” a prepared statement issued by the CCPD states. “The investigation is ongoing at this time and criminal charges are pending.”