CLEVELAND — Overnight, a car crashed into a daycare in Cleveland near Garfield Heights. Now, the owner is calling on city leaders to make changes she says could prevent something like this from happening again.
"We wanted [to] give pillar to the community somewhere that people can bring their children and love and nurture,” said Dr. Zayna Durrah-Makupson.
Durrah-Makupson opened Tomorrow's Leaders Childcare and Enrichment Center in 2022 with hopes of being a positive force in the neighborhood. But she says she never expected the challenges her business would face.
"All day, every day. I'm constantly watching the cameras because I hear spinouts, I hear burnouts, and I’m just in my office hoping that a car doesn't come through in my office or in the children's bay area,” said Durrah-Makupson.
That fear became reality overnight when a car slammed into the daycare building. The crash destroyed the railing and damaged several cameras.
"We have to repair the brick, the siding, the wiring, the window shifted, that has to be replaced as well,” said Durrah-Makupson.
Cleveland police told us officers were called to the scene around 2:50 a.m. Wednesday. When News 5 crews arrived, they found a heavily damaged black Chrysler. A Garfield Heights police vehicle also appeared to have damage. For Durrah-Makupson, the relief was in knowing no one was hurt.
"Gratefulness. I was thankful that it wasn't during business hours, and there were [no] children, no families, no staff members were hurt,” said Durrah-Makupson.
However, she said this crash highlights ongoing safety concerns in the area.
"Well, this isn't the first time that it's happened in this area. It's a bit concerning, concerning that it keeps happening, and that there are children coming and going in this area all the time,” said Durrah-Makupson.
Durrah-Makupson said she’s made complaints to the city before and wants officials to take stronger action.
"I asked for city protocols to maybe reduce the speed limit, perhaps put in speed traps or more police presence in the area, and they did give us the sign a few months ago,” said Durrah-Makupson.
She also wants a review of police pursuit policies.
"I believe that there should be some type of review of police chase protocols, maybe some other tactics that can be used instead of just chasing every car,” said Durrah-Makupson.
We reached out to Garfield Heights police for information on the reported pursuit but have not heard back. Cleveland police say they are handling the crash investigation.
Nadeen Abusada is a Cuyahoga County and immigration reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow her on Instagram NadeenAbusada or email her at Nadeen.Abusada@wews.com.
