UNION TOWNSHIP, Ohio — A driver crashed into a tattoo shop in Union Township after suffering a medical episode around midnight Tuesday, according to Union Township police.
According to police, an SUV came off Ohio Pike and crashed into the Golden Fleece Tattoo Studio at Park Plaza after the driver lost consciousness.
Police said the driver was not injured in the crash, but the studio said in a social media post that the shop was destroyed.
"We'll be back on our feet in no time, and we're eager to serve you better. ... Please keep us all and the driver of the vehicle in your prayers," the studio said.
Tuesday morning, we visited the local tattoo shop to get a closer look at the damage.
See the damage left behind by a driver crashing into the local tattoo studio:
We met with the two owners of the studio and several of their employees, including tattoo artists Finnley Creager and Carmen Kelley.
“I had just laid down in bed for the night, and I get a group call from everyone that works here, and I'm like, ‘What is this about?’ and I answer it. ... Immediately it’s, 'Finnley the shop is gone,'" Creager said.
The studio's floor was covered in broken glass and debris from workshops, the waiting area and a slate pool table. The vehicle went all the way to the back wall of the tattoo shop.
"I don't know how to process it," Kelley said.
The tattoo artists said Golden Fleece had become like a second home.
"It just feels like a hangout, to be honest," Kelley said.
"We're all really close here, it feels like family," Creager said.
Creager walked us through the rubble. There was even a damaged road that was dragged into the store during the crash.
“It’ll be a little scavenger hunt to find all my stuff," Creager said.
The studio's owners told us they are working with their insurance to figure out how they'll be moving forward.
The two artists said that they had just started working at Golden Fleece last year. The owners told us that the studio had recently relocated within the Union Township shopping center over the past several months.
No other businesses were damaged, police said.
