Bail was set at $2,500 for a suspected drunk driver accused of crashing a truck into a rental car building in Quincy, Massachusetts.
Alan Whiffen, 53, of Quincy, was taken into custody Monday afternoon and charged with operating under the influence, operating to endanger and speeding. He was arraigned Tuesday at Quincy District Court.
Police said Whiffen was heading northbound on Route 3A when his pickup truck veered off the road and smashed into the Hertz Car Rental at 686 Southern Artery around 4:15 p.m.
Prosecutors say Whiffen was going more than 60 mph.
The Hertz employee who was hit inside the building was taken to South Shore Hospital with minor cuts and bruises. He was discharged Monday night but he did not want to talk about what happened.
A second employee was in the building at the time and had to dive out of the way, where thre truck coming to rest at the spot where that worker had been sitting.
Whiffen told the judge Tuesday that he asked at the scene if everyone was OK.
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Grace Cuddy, who witnessed the incident, said it was a loud and dramatic crash.
"He was just like groaning in pain," Cuddy said of the employee who was hurt in the crash. "We heard a big bang across the street and we ran over and there was smoke everywhere and a man came running out, like keeled over and holding his hand."
The truck smashed through walls and glass until it was all the way inside the building.
"It was really smoky, there was smoke everywhere, and we just saw a bunch of people get out of their cars and run over," Cuddy said.
Jezzica Zhang, who went to pick up a rental car, was shocked at the damage.
"Just by looking at it, I thought there was a threat of something like a bomb," she said.
A Hertz employee told NBC10 Boston they hope to reopen Tuesday but that it may take a few days.
