Funeral Chapel Crash Causes $50,000 Damage

A Concord funeral chapel suffered an estimated $50,000 in damages after a teen driver crashed into the building last Sunday.

The chapel at Ouimet Bros. on Clayton Road is being used as a place to store the debris from the damaged foyer, and will be closed for about a month, the Contra Costa Times reports. The business is still arranging funerals, using buildings offered by local churches.

A funeral service was underway when a 16-year-old male crashed his 1974 Chevy Nova into the funeral chapel around 1:20 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 30. Both the 16-year-old and his 15-year-old male passenger were taken to John Muir Walnut Creek after suffering minor injuries in the crash. A 66-year-old man attending a service inside the building suffered a broken leg and was taken to Highland Hospital in Oakland for treatment.

The cause of the collision is under investigation, but preliminary statements taken by Concord police suggest that the teen drivers "may have been involved in an exhibition of speed." No arrests have been made.

Ouimet Brothers Concord Funeral Chapel was started in 1971 by Brothers John and Donald Ouimet, and moved to its Clayton Road location in 1985.

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