Truck plows into bank

PERKINS TWP. — A local bank branch apparently will be closed for an extended period after a pickup truck crashed into it late Thursday night. At approximately 11:20 p.m., first responders were called to the PNC Bank on the corner of East Strub and Milan (U.S. 250) roads for a report of a truck that ran into the building. Police and firefighters arrived to find a white GMC crew cab pickup truck all the way into the building. The front façade of the building has an entrance and three windows. The truck appeared to have crashed between the two windows closest to the door. A 32-year-old Sandusky man had a medical episode while eastbound on Strub Road, according to a media release from the Sandusky post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol. The driver "failed to negotiate a curve approaching the U.S. 250 intersection and drove off the right side of the roadway," according to the release. The truck went over a curb, through a snow-covered grassy area then across six lanes of travel on Milan Road. It then went over another curb, through the bank's parking lot and through the front wall of the building. The driver was trapped in the vehicle and had to be extricated through mechanical means by firefighters. It is unclear how long the branch will be closed. "We are working to address the situation and ensure the safety of our customers and staff," PNC spokesman Craig Friedman said. Status updates on the Milan Road branch will be available on the company's branch locator website: pnc.com/locator. Customers can continue to use the ATM-only site on West Farwell Street. Friedman said there are eight partner ATM locations within five miles of Sandusky. The Milan Road branch has safe deposit boxes for customers, according to the PNC website. Friedman did not know if customers would be able to access their boxes while the bank is closed. He told the Register that he would provide an update early next week. The closest branch to Sandusky is at 25 E. Monroe St. in Norwalk. The Milan Road PNC Bank is the last full branch location in the city. The Sandusky branch at the corner of Columbus and Perkins avenues closed in 2023. The West Washington Street (U.S. 6) branch closed in 2013, according to Friedman.