PACIFIC GROVE-The driver of the new Ford Ranger pickup truck that crashed into the Pacific Grove Public Works building has been confirmed, the accident is still under investigation, and the city is studying how to restore and rebuild the structure.
Joseph Ryan Braig, 29, from Pacific Grove, has been identified as the driver of the vehicle. The vehicle was leaving the driveway of Grove Acre Avenue, crossing Sunset Drive, hitting the side of the road, breaking through a wire fence and hitting a building 6 Around 1 am on the 5th, the public works building.
The ensuing fire severely damaged the building and destroyed the vehicle. Braig was the only passenger on the truck. The Monterey County Coroner’s Office confirmed his identity. They responded to the accident and took the deceased away.
“Our warehouse was burned down,” said Daniel Gho, director of public works at Pacific Grove. “Nothing left.”
The main public works office in Pacific Grove includes warehouse space for storing documents, blueprints and supplies, and is the workplace for four administrative employees.
Gho said the fire was so hot that it distorted some of the steel beams of the structure. A structural engineer from its insurance company has evaluated the site, and the city is awaiting a report that will discuss the extent of damage, what can be salvaged and what must be removed, and related costs. The scope of damage from fire, smoke and water is wide.
The warehouse contains electrical, information technology, and telephone systems, the public works department is working with the help of generators, the city and PG&E are working to restore temporary power, and electrical engineers are working on designing permanent solutions.
Gho said that trying to figure this out could take up 50% of his and other people’s time while they serve the community.
The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy John Thornberg said: “We will not know in a few weeks” what was involved and what happened.
Pacific Grove Police Commander David Santos said that although the driver’s identity has been determined, the investigation has not revealed the cause and may never know because the accident involved a single passenger who died in the car and The collision with the building caused a fire.