Executive Administrator of the Cherokee Health and Rehab, Donnie Lowe, shared the following statement concerning the accident this week where a freight truck crashed into the facility:

CENTRE, AL – On Wednesday, December 7, 2022, a semi-truck left the roadway of Alabama Highway 9 and struck four parked vehicles in Cherokee County Health & Rehab Center’s (CCHRC) front parking lot. One parked vehicle involved in the accident made contact with an exterior wall of our facility. The occupants inside that vehicle were transported to a hospital for treatment.

Our staff immediately responded to our residents inside the building to ensure their safety. Residents of affected areas were moved to unaffected rooms. One resident was transported to a hospital for observation and treatment and has returned to CCHRC. We continue to monitor both our employees and residents ongoing needs. Staff members receive ongoing emergency training, and I am proud of their performance before, during and after this incident. We resumed normal operations within our facility shortly after the wreck.

On behalf of Cherokee County Health & Rehab Center, I would like to thank all agencies that responded to our facility. Police, fire and EMS personnel are to be commended for a job well done.

At least one room of Cherokee Health and Rehab was damaged with the resident being moved to an unaffected room. The outside area of the building affected has been boarded up.