DARIEN TOWNSHIP — No one was injured early Friday when a vehicle crashed into the Whiskey Ranch at highways 89 and 14, causing a large natural gas leak.
The Walworth CountySheriff’s Communication Center received a 911 call about 4:45 a.m. Friday reporting a crash involving a motor vehicle at the intersection of highways 14 and 89 in Darien Township.
When the first deputy arrived on scene, the deputy reported a large natural gas leak from a broken gas meter at the Whiskey Ranch Tavern.
The deputy then saw that the vehicle had crashed inside of the building, according to a news release from the Walworth County Sheriff’s Office.
The driver of the car was on scene and identified as Abel Espinoza, 19 years of age, from Clinton.
Espinoza was uninjured and told the Deputy he had fallen asleep while traveling south on Highway 89 approaching the intersection of US Hwy 14 / State Hwy 11.
The tavern was empty at the time of the crash, however, there were residents in an apartment above the establishment. The residents were uninjured and evacuated without incident.
The crash remains under investigation, and the Whiskey Ranch has potential structural damage.
Highway 89 was closed for several hours until WE rendered the gas leak safe.
The Sheriff’s Office received assistance from the Darien Fire Department, Shared Paramedics, City of Delavan Police, Walworth County Public Works, and WE Energies.
