OCEAN CITY – A car driven by a local man lost control and struck the front porch of a house in downtown Ocean City yesterday morning.
At about 9 a.m., Paul Michael Toulottei, 51, was driving southboud on Philadelphia Avenue when he claimed to be experiencing muscle cramps in his left leg, according to a police report. He reportedly bent down to grab his leg at the same time he began to cough and gag. Toulottei then reportedly lost control of his vehicle striking a telephone pole in front of Ocean City Weekly Rental Office. The car then went across the east crosswalk at 7th Street and Philadelphia Avenue and crashed into the front porch of 608 Philadelphia Avenue.
OCPD patrol officers responded to the scene and the driver was transported by Ocean City EMS to Atlantic General Hospital for treatment of minor injuries. No parked cars were struck and no other injuries were reported. The side staircase and front porch of 608 Philadelphia Avenue sustained major damage.
Toulottei has been charged with failure to reduce speed to avoid a collision, negligent driving, driving on sidewalk when prohibited and failure to drive on right half of roadway when required.
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