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Car flips, lands inside Brockton bank after high impact crash; driver charged

BROCKTON, Mass. — A driver was injured after crashing his car through the walls of a bank on Oak Street early Friday, causing the car to flip over and land on its roof.

Around 2:30 a.m., the car hit the Webster Bank on Oak Street "at a good clip," according to Brockton Fire Captain Richard Costa, then flipped over onto its roof from the impact, before landing in the teller area of the bank.

Multiple special tools were used to get the sole victim, 51-year-old Robert Morano, out of the car, according to officials. He was transported to a local hospital and then airlifted to a Boston hospital with serious injuries., Costa said.

“He had some chest trauma, but we don’t know the level of intensity at this point. But due to the level of impact, he was airlifted as a precautionary measure.”

Posted by Michael Henrich Boston 25 on Friday, December 7, 2018

Officials were still on scene hours after the crash, eventually towing the car away just before 4:30 a.m. A gaping hole in the front of the bank was left behind, propped up by support beams placed by emergency crews. The building inspector says, miraculously, the building is structurally sound, despite the major damage left behind.

Plymouth County Crime Scene Investigators arrived at the scene just after 8 a.m. After spending about 15 minutes inside, they left carrying two brown evidence bags. Police at the scene could not comment on what they found at the scene.

Police later said a gun was found in the debris. Morano has a license to carry, but police say it was expired. He is charged with having and being intoxicated with an unlicensed loaded gun. He will also face negligent operation of a motor vehicle and marked lanes violation charges.

Webster Bank sent Boston 25 News the following statement:

"Webster Bank is working with authorities regarding this incident. Our thoughts are with the driver, who was injured in the crash, and his family.

The Oak Street branch is closed until the damage can be assessed, but we will regularly update our customers as more information becomes available. In the meantime, we encourage customers to use our other local branches located at 719 Belmont Street in Brockton or 700 Washington Street in Stoughton."

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