Wednesday, May 7, 2014

2/27/75 Almeda Genoa Bank Hit & Run


Someone received quite a jolt last Thursday evening [Feb. 27, 1975] as their vehicle crashed into the side of the Almeda Genoa Bank off the Gulf Freeway. The security patrol that covers the Almeda Mall Shopping Center area had checked the bank at approximately 11:15 p.m. and found everything in order. At the next check, however, the security officer found one front wall to have suffered heavy damage. But when the officer searched the parking area and nearby premises, he could find neither a person nor a vehicle that might have caused the damage. 

Nolan Bedford, executive vice-president of the bank, stated that this apparently was not an attempt to rob the bank, as no effort was made to gain entrance into the main bank area. Bedford explained that the damaged area was near a storage room hear the bookeeping section, which was nowhere near the vault.

It appeared that whoever was involved in the accident left the scene immediately. Police feel that someone going at a high rate of speed through the bank parking lot lost control of the vehicle or fell asleep and then hit the side of the bank in a head-on collision. The bank parking lot is often used as a short cut to Kingspoint Road from the Gulf Freeway feeder road. 

Main damage was at the outer decorative wall, with slight damage to the inner wall. Heavy equipment stored on a construction site was ruled out as the cause of the accident since the tracks next to the building were small. The only clues found were the tracks and a small amount of fluid, possibly from a radiator, on the sidewalk directly in front of the damaged area. There was no debris near the scene. Costs of the repairs was estimated at $3000. Repair work was started immediately and is expected to be finished within a week. 


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