Teen Driver Crashes Into Funeral Chapel During Service

Three people were taken to hospital Sunday afternoon after a car crashed into the Ouimet Brothers Funeral Chapel on Clayton Road around 1:20 p.m.

The driver of the 1974 Chevy Nova was a 16-year-old boy riding with a 15-year-old boy Both 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 funeral chapel suffered significant structural damage, said Concord police. A viewing for Mike "Radar" Dunn, originally scheduled for Sunday from 5-8 p.m. at the chapel, was relocated to the Salvation Army Community Church at 3950 Clayton Rd.

The teenage driver may have been racing against another 16-year-old driver when the collision happened, according to a preliminary investigation by the Concord Police Department.

The second car, a 2004 Ford Escape, was being driven by a 16-year-old boy with a 15-year-old girl passenger. Both cars were heading westbound on Clayton Road, according to police, when the first car swerved off the roadway and hit the funeral chapel, striking a man who was inside the building. A funeral service was in progress at the time of the crash.

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.

If you have any information regarding the collision, contact Traffic Officer Ron Bruckert at 925-671-3311, extension 4365.

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