Driver Of Vehicle That Destroyed The Wunder Weiner Facing Charges

BERKELEY TOWNSHIP, NJ The driver of the car that demolished the popular Der Wunder Weiner and badly injured owner Gerald LaCrosse has been charged with six motor vehicle violations, according to the police report.

Mark Poplawski, 52, Forked River, suffered minor head and neck injuries and was treated at Community Medical Center in Toms River, after his SUV took down a utility pole, then struck the landmark business on Route 9 South in Bayville on Monday morning.

Poplawski was issued summons for careless driving, reckless driving, failure to maintain lane, driving in an unsafe manner, operating a motor vehicle on public lands, and failure to exhibit registration, the report written by Berkeley Patrolman Michael Bulwinski says.

He first told officers at the scene of the Route 9 accident on Monday that he may have fallen asleep. But he changed his story when Bulwinski interviewed him at Community Medical Center and said he didn't remember falling asleep and doesn't remember the accident.

"Mr. Poplawski stated he last remembers seeing Dunkin Doughnuts, then heard three loud crashes and observed that he crashed into the structure," Bulwinski said in the report.

Poplawski was taken to the hospital for head and neck pain. Officers at the scene said he did not show any signs of being under the influence of alcohol or drugs, he said in the report.

LaCrosse, who is also a longtime Beachwood councilman, was inside his business and was badly injured when the car plowed into it after striking a telephone pole. He was airlifted to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune.

He has already undergone several surgeries due to the internal bleeding he suffered when he was pinned under the building that was his business and his family's livelihood for more than 30 years.

The last thing his family wants LaCrosse to have to deal with when he recovers is the stress of lost wages, the devastation of his business, the loss of his car and medical expenses. So they have set up a gofundme site to help, she said.

To make a donation to the site set up on the family's behalf, click here.
As of today, $5,730 of the $20,000 goal had been raised. The fund was just set up on Tuesday night. Please help if you can.

Photos: gofundme.com