A car crash into a nonprofit gym in south Seattle caused $50,000 in damages, but the facility reopened swiftly with community support.
SEATTLE — A longtime south Seattle nonprofit is facing thousands of dollars in repairs after a car slammed into its building, forcing it to close for a day before reopening to members.
Surveillance video shows a vehicle traveling on Rainier Avenue South narrowly avoiding another car before crashing into Rainier Health and Fitness, a community gym that has served the Rainier Valley community for more than 20 years.
No serious injuries were reported in the crash that happened around 7 p.m. on Sunday.
The video from the gym showed the driver appeared uninjured and got out of the car moments after the crash. Seattle police are investigating incident.
For members and staff, the crash was a shock.
“It’s still traumatic to have something happen like that,” said member Kim Powers.
The crash destroyed part of an exterior wall, damaged framing and forced the removal of an exit door. On the other side of the wall sat costly equipment that was also damaged, said Alicia Haskins, director of Rainier Health and Fitness.
“The unthinkable actually happened,” Haskins said. “The other thing is how are we going to afford the repairs as a nonprofit.”
Staff estimate it will cost more than $50,000 to repair the building and replace the damaged equipment. The nonprofit briefly closed following the crash but reopened Tuesday after staff and volunteers worked quickly to clean up debris and ensure members could return to the gym.
For members like Powers, the facility is much more than a place to exercise.
“It’s kind of a home. You can come down here and exercise, and everybody rallied, of course, because that’s what happens when you have a really good community center,” she said.
Haskins said she is grateful for the support the nonprofit has received and remains confident the community will help them through the challenges ahead.
“Ultimately, it’s a thank you for your support. Thank you for your concern, and we’ll get through even this together,” she said.
If you’d like to donate to the nonprofit to help with its repairs click here.
