Car plows into Kelly’s in East Liberty; driver arrested, no one hurt

A wayward vehicle crashed into the front of Kelly’s Bar & Lounge in East Liberty early Saturday, leaving significant damage to the facade, said owner Caleb Cornell.

Pittsburgh Public Safety spokeswoman Cara Cruz said Pittsburgh police responded to the crash in the 6000 block of Centre Avenue just before 4:30 a.m.

No one was inside the bar at the time. Cruz said the female driver complained of a head injury, but refused to be taken to the hospital.

Cruz said the driver was arrested and charged with drunken driving and careless driving after failing two field sobriety tests and a breathalyzer test. She did not identify the woman.

“A friend happened to see it and called me at 9 a.m. this morning and I came straight down,” Cornell said. “I’m in a big of shock and a state of disbelief.”

The vehicle did not make it into the building but still did heavy damage to the front.

Cornell said the driver apparently plowed into some scaffolding erected in front the building next store and continued right to his bar. In addition to damage to his storefront, he said “the support wall will need to be torn down and replaced.”

Cornell said Kelly’s will remain closed Saturday to “clean up and regroup,” but he plans to welcome customers back Sunday, Nov. 22.

Cornell is thankful no one was in the building when the crash occurred.

“There was a booth right where the vehicle hit, so if we had been open, people could have potentially been seated there,” he said.

In a Facebook post Saturday, Kelly’s Bar & Lounge called the situation “terrible” and thanked customers for their support.

“The good news, is that we will be opening back up tomorrow evening,” Cornell said.