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NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – The Howlin\u2019 Wolf, a venerable New Orleans music, comedy and entertainment venue near the city\u2019s convention center, was damaged early Sunday (Aug. 10) by a vehicle involved in a violent crash.<\/p>\n
Nightclub owner Howie Kaplan told Fox 8 no patrons or pedestrians were injured in the 2 a.m. incident, for which he was extremely thankful. He said the venue had about 600 people attending an event just a few hours earlier.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot could\u2019ve happened if this was three hours earlier,\u201d Kaplan said.<\/p>\n
Kaplan said that, according to witness accounts given to police, a vehicle on adjacent South Diamond Street disregarded a stop sign and turned left without slowing onto South Peters Street. The vehicle t-boned an SUV on South Peters, sending it crashing through a support column at The Howlin\u2019 Wolf\u2019s main entrance.<\/p>\n
It was unclear if a driver had been arrested or cited for causing the collision, but Kaplan said at least one passenger in the SUV that was knocked into his building was taken for hospital treatment for shortness of breath and minor injuries.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told them we\u2019re not a drive-through,\u201d Kaplan joked, \u201cbut they wouldn\u2019t listen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kaplan said The Howlin\u2019 Wolf Den and smaller bar on the other side of the building was unaffected and will remain open. But he said he must arrange for a structural engineer to inspect the main building before it can be declared safe for use.<\/p>\n
It was too early Sunday to estimate the dollar damage to the building or determine if it must close for any length of time for repairs.<\/p>\n
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