The driver of a car that crashed into the Emporia State Student Recreation Center Sunday night was fleeing from an attempted welfare check, Emporia Police Department announced Monday.
According to a press release by Captain Ray Mattas, police attempted to stop a 2012 gray Acura on 18th and Rural St. around 5:45 p.m. to conduct a welfare check when it fled eastbound onto 18th. The car “continued at a high rate of speed” onto the ESU campus and went airborne before crashing into the Student Recreation Center.
Officers did not pursue the car when it fled.
Emporia Fire Department extricated the trapped driver from the vehicle after arriving on the scene. The driver was then taken to Newman Regional Health for treatment. Their condition remains unknown.
Emporia Police Sergeant Dominick Vertherms said Sunday the driver’s injuries were “non life-threatening” and confirmed speed was a factor in the crash.
“Due to the nature of this accident, the driver’s identification will not be released to the public,” Mattas said.
No one was in the vicinity of the recreation center when the crash occurred. The center will remain closed until further notice.