A U-Haul truck crashed into the northernmost side of Evil By The Needle, a Bloomington tattoo and piercing shop, Sunday evening. The crash injured two women inside the shop, but the injuries were not believed to be life-threatening, Captain Ryan Pedigo of the Bloomington Police Department said in an email Monday.
The Bloomington Police Department responded to the scene, the intersection of Hillside Drive and South Walnut St. around 4:40 p.m., Pedigo said.
The U-Haul was entirely inside the building when police arrived. It appeared the truck was traveling southbound on Walnut Street before swerving off the road and into the building, Pedigo said.
The driver, a 77-year-old Bloomington man, was trapped in the truck and could not open the driver’s side door when police arrived, Pedigo said. Police assisted the driver out of the truck and the building.
The driver did not report any injuries and said he had fallen asleep while driving on Walnut Street, Pedigo said. Officers did not see signs of impairment.
Police assisted one of the women out of the shop, Pedigo said. The other woman had already left the building. The two had some injuries, mostly cuts and bleeding, according to Pedigo. It is believed one of the women lost consciousness before police and medical personnel arrived, Pedigo said.
Kian Rio, the owner’s daughter, was not present at the time of the accident, but she said the two individuals in the shop were a customer and a piercer. The two were pushed to the opposite wall by the U-Haul. Rio said the two individuals appeared to be conscious when she arrived and were transported to the hospital.
A blood sample from the driver is required by law in these types of crashes, Pedigo said. The driver gave a blood sample at the hospital, as the crash was considered a serious bodily injury crash, Pedigo said. No citations were issued, he said.
Ken’s Westside Service and Towing arrived and towed the U-Haul away.
Brittney Davis, an employee of MONON Rentals LLc / ALF LLc, the company that manages the property, said she got a call about the accident at 4:45 p.m. She said the maintenance workers were going to board up the shop after they had cleared the sidewalk of debris.
Davis said the company would have to wait for insurance information before repairs.
Rio said she and other members of her family were collecting valuables such as jewelry and equipment from the shop to avoid theft.
Mallorey Daunhauer contributed reporting.
