Drunk Driver Damages Ferndale Community Garden
(Crystal A. Proxmire, Sept. 12, 2023)
Ferndale, MI – With too much alcohol in their system, the driver of a silver Ford F150 went over the curb at Livernois and Oakridge in Ferndale, plowing through the community garden planted there, and crashing into a neighboring garage on Saturday evening.
The garage is what stopped the drunk driver from barrelling into the neighbor’s yard. A slightly different angle of approach might have sent the vehicle into the other neighbor’s yard, where according to Ferndale Garden Club President Dominic Scappaticci, children had been playing.
According to Ferndale Police, the driver was not injured. The crash happened on Sept. 9 at 8:53pm. The driver, a 59-year-old man from Detroit, was arrested for operating while intoxicated (OWI). Charges are pending.
In the meantime, the Ferndale Garden Club is left to clean up the mess. Several bushes and other plants were crushed by the vehicles. A large engraved rock was pushed from it’s location. And a memorial bench – in honor of past president Jayne Warner – was smashed.
Although the destruction is disappointing, Scappaticci’s thoughts are with the people involved and being grateful that no one was hurt. “This could have been a lot worse, children were playing the yard that is behind the garden, the neighbors shed kept the truck from getting into their yard.” He thinks also of the volunteers who enjoy tending to the space.
“This is the second drunk driver damaging the garden,” he said, noting that a similar incident happened in 2019 or 2020. “We have asked the city to look at options for barricades or bollards or boulders to keep folks from doing this again.”
The Garden Club plans to rebuild. Offers have already been coming in on social media from those who would like to donate plants and volunteer to help. “We appreciate all the folks that offered to donate plants. That’s very kind,” Scappaticci said. The club is a 501(c)3 that is able to accept both financial donations and gifted items for the garden. Those who want to help may reach out to the club at theferndalegardenclub@gmail.com.
