NEW ORLEANS — A box truck crashed into a building on Bienville Avenue and N. Rendon Street around noon on Friday.
The truck belonged to Westport Linen Services.
A representative from Westport was on the scene but did not want to go on camera. He told Eyewitness News the driver lost control after hitting bumps along Bienville.
It was a close call for the neighbors next door when the building fell onto their pickup truck.
“Boom. I ran out to see my little brother in the truck. He still tried to get out," Reginald Parker said.
Parker said his brother went to the hospital but is expected to be OK.
“He was outside near his truck, so he could’ve gotten killed," Neighbor, Lucille Stand, said.
An inspector for the Historic District Landmarks Commission (HDLC) was on the scene Friday taking photos.
The building was previously cited by the Historic District Landmarks Commission (HDLC) for "demolition beyond the approved scope."
At Thursday's city council meeting, the commission and several representatives of the property went before the council.
Zach Smith owns a consulting and design firm and was working on the project.
“There is absolutely no doubt the contractor did more than he should have done. In this particular case, at the end of the day, the finished product, for the sake of appearance, will be very close if not exactly to what was approved," Smith said at Thursday's meeting.
Smith told Eyewitness News on Friday that the truck crashing into the building was coincidental. Smith said he called Westport Linens, and he was told that the driver was on his scheduled route when he lost control of the box truck.
The owner of the property, Nick Galiano, visited the scene on Friday, but he said he did not want to do an interview. He called the timing of the wreck "eerie."
Galiano told the council on Thursday that they were renovating the building to become his real estate headquarters.
“The stuff that was demolished, it only went 13 percent beyond the scope. It was nothing of historical significance, it was vinyl siding and termite ridden wood. It was a mistake, and we own up to that," Galiano said, "But we self-reported this. We didn’t continue building or anything like that.”
Galiano asked for the nearly $16,000 fine to be reduced.
The building sits in Councilmember Lesli Harris' district. Harris lowered the fine to $10,000.
“Everybody is repentant about what happened, but it actually happened, and we can’t just let things like this go unlooked," Harris said at Thursday's meeting.
Upon hearing about Friday's crash Harris said in a statement:
“Any loss of a historic home is devastating. This one - 3300 Bienville - is particularly difficult to see, since we just discussed a path forward yesterday, including redevelopment and restoration of the home’s historic elements. I’m working with neighbors and the HDLC to learn more about what happened, and will certainly follow up with additional penalties if warranted.”