Drunk Driver Damages Vasquez Construction in Laramie

Johnny Vasquez has to fit in another construction project this summer, one he didn’t sign up for. Someone crashed into his building yesterday afternoon, causing major damage to his building. 

The driver, a 63-year-old male, was arrested for DWI and charged with reckless driving.

“We heard a great big boom. I was on our other property, next to Night Oil, mine and Tom Thelen’s property, visiting with him. Sounded like a big lightning strike right close. We knew it was gonna be bad,” Vasquez said. 

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The accident occurred at Vazquez’s property on the corner of Garfield and Cedar Streets, in West Laramie. “It’s a mess. I had everything looking nice.”

“It’s pretty bad; there were two windows, and the walls are crashed in where the laundry room, bathroom, and part of the dining area is. That’s an old part of the building, block underneath, and stucco. It’s gonna take some work,” Vasquez said. 

Unfortunately, Vasquez has encountered scenarios like this before on his property. “This isn’t my first interaction with this guy…he tried to run off after the accident. I just hope he has insurance,” Vasquez said. 

“This has happened before. A couple of years ago, a young gal crashed her Beetle into the light pole. She hit some ice and snow and totaled her car. Ended up on its top. Power company had to fix the pole.”

It’s a high-traffic area, with the road going to Garfield Street bridge to the west. “I can’t believe how much traffic we get through this part of the road. Cops fill up right over here, and I can’t believe how many people get away with speeding through here.”

Vasquez is hoping some signs or other warning signals about the sharp turn are put up. Until then, he’s contemplating some property-destruction deterrents of his own, like installing bollards to help protect his property. 

“Or maybe I’ll just start selling burritos on the corner there, since there’s so much traffic. Might get ‘em to slow down some too.”