Six headstones were damaged at an Akron cemetery on Tuesday after a driver was speeding down a street before striking a curb, causing him to go off the road, according to authorities.
Police responded to Holy Cross Cemetery, located 100 E. Waterloo Road in Akron around 6:25 p.m. for a driver who went off the road after traveling at a high speed.
At the time of the crash, another driver told police that he saw the driver pass him at a high rate of speed, according to the police report.
Police said the driver, who was identified as Robert Miller, 20, of Akron, lost control when he changed lanes, causing him to hit a curb and travel through the fence that closes off the cemetery.
The car came to a stop on top of a gravestone.
The area where the gravestones were damaged is an older section of the cemetery, with granite headstones of people buried in the 1940s and 1950s. Luckily, the CEO of the Catholic Cemeteries Association said it appears all of the headstones can be repaired.
According to police, the driver said he didn't remember anything about the crash. EMS believed the driver struck his head, which caused him to not remember the incident, according to the police report.
The witness to the crash told police that Miller passed him so fast it felt like he was standing still, according to the report. Police estimate he was driving 90 mph.
People who live and work near the Holy Cross said speed is an issue on E. Waterloo and stressed that the crash could have been much worse.
Miller was taken to Summa Akron City Hospital for evaluation.
Miller was charged with failure to control and reckless operation of a vehicle.
