A Mitchell chiropractor has been forced to relocate her practice after a motorist lost control of his vehicle and crashed into her clinic last week.
Thiesse Chiropractic, owned and operated by Tiffany Thiesse, received an estimated $25,000 in damages when Dennis Streyle, 20, slid on ice and crashed through the front of the clinic the evening of Jan. 26.
"He took out my sign and went into my building," Thiesse said. "It was kind of emotionally devastating to see that happen."
The building was unoccupied when the incident occurred around 9:15 p.m. No one was injured.
According to Mitchell Assistant Police Chief Leon Baier, Streyle was traveling northbound on Sanborn Boulevard in Mitchell at about 40 mph. Streyle's vehicle accelerated to pass another vehicle, hit a patch of ice and lost control, Baier said.
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The pillars, entrance and much of the front of Thiesse's office were destroyed.
"That building represented a clinic -- a place where I made people feel better, treated them. When he hit that, he hurt the structure, but he didn't hurt the clinic," Thiesse said.
Thiesse Chiropractic reopened at its new location two days later.
"You can't stop seeing patients," Thiesse said.
The clinic settled in the Pierson building at 817 N. Sanborn, four blocks south of its former spot.
Thiesse said the move is temporary and she'll either rebuild or repair the former clinic, depending on insurance matters and structural engineers' findings.
Streyle, a Scotland resident, was charged with careless driving.
Authorities estimated damage to be about $25,000 to the building and $2,500 to Streyle's car.
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Family and friends took off a few days to help Thiesse clean up and relocate. The chiropractor is happy to have resumed her practice.
"I went to school for nine years to make people feel better, and for a couple of days there, I didn't feel like I was helping anyone," Thiesse said.
Streyle is charged with a Class 2 misdemeanor, which carries a maximum penalty of 30 days in a county jail and a $500 fine.
According to Baier, one passenger was also in the car, and alcohol did not appear to be a factor.
"It was basically an accident," Baier said.
