Reconstruction Begins on Health Dept Building After Teen Crashed Into It

The damage was obvious, but not the cost, after a suspected-drunk teen smashed his car through the western wall of the Williamson County Health Department last Saturday night.

Now, almost a week later, the numbers are in: repairs to the building will cost $46,000 to $48,000.

“It was a little higher than we were hoping it would be, but the building is still structurally sound,” Wayne Franklin, director of risk management for Williamson County, said.

Holt Construction, who started repair work Wednesday, told the county the fix should take no more than a few weeks.

The estimate includes only rebuilding the structure; the county is still accounting the cost of lab equipment damaged- a centrifuge, and cabinetry, for the most part.

Franklin Police identified the driver as Felipe Perez, 18, of Robin Hill Road.

The night security guard pulled him out of the wreck before paramedics arrived because he was concerned about it catching fire, Cathy Montgomery, Director of Health for Williamson County, said.

Police weren’t able to administer a road side sobriety test because Perez was unconscious at the scene, FPD Lt. Charles Warner said

Medical staff drew blood and shipped it to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation for testing to determine Perez’s blood alcohol content level, if any, when he struck the building. The incident will go before the Williamson County Grand Jury either in July or August.

Warner said Monday that Perez has been released from the hospital.

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