Police: One person dead after crash into Hamilton restaurant

Vehicle crashed into Jocko’s on High Street on Wednesday afternoon; restaurant reopens.

Credit: MICHAEL CLICK/CONTRIBUTED

HAMILTON — One person died after a vehicle crashed into a popular downtown restaurant Wednesday afternoon, according to Hamilton police.

Police responded to Jocko’s Chicken & Seafood, 725 High St., around 3:45 p.m. and found a car had crashed into the restaurant’s drive-through area, killing one person and injuring another.

The names of the deceased and the injured person have not been released by police.

A woman who contacted the Journal-News and identified herself as a relative of the driver said the woman had a medical condition that led to the accident. A man who contacted the Journal-News and identified himself as a relative of the deceased said the person who died was a pedestrian in the area when the vehicle crashed. Multiple attempts to confirm that information with Hamilton police were unsuccessful Thursday.

An autopsy is scheduled for Friday at the Butler County Coroner’s Office, officials said Thursday.

Two people were injured Wednesday afternoon in Hamilton when a vehicle hit Jocko’s restaurant on High Street.

It happened about 3:45 p.m. when dispatchers received a call of a vehicle into the building and a pedestrian hit, according to dispatchers. Two people were taken away by ambulance. Jocko’s World Famous Chicken & Seafood is located at 725 High Street. NICK GRAHAM/STAFF

Credit: Nick Graham

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Credit: Nick Graham

Officers who are a part of the Butler County Serious Traffic Accident Reconstruction Team continue to investigate the crash, officials said Thursday. Several representatives of the team were on the scene Wednesday.

>> FIRST REPORT: Vehicle hits High Street restaurant in Hamilton, two people injured

The restaurant’s drive-through was severely damaged, said Breez Gallo, a manager at Jocko’s. He said the drive-through is closed, and it’s being repaired. The dining room reopened Thursday, he said.

No restaurant employees were injured in the crash, he said.

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