Three people were injured when a vehicle slammed into the side of an aging building in Kansas City’s Lykins neighborhood Thursday night. The building was seriously damaged in the crash, and its owner, an 83-year-old man who has been a plumber in the area since the 1960s, was left reeling.

The crash happened just after 9 p.m. in the 4800 block of East 9th Street. Officers were on patrol in the area when they saw a car speeding and moving erratically, said Capt. Jake Becchina, a spokesperson for the Kansas City Police Department.

When officers attempted to stop the vehicle for a traffic violation, the driver did not stop and sped away, Becchina said. According to a police report, officers decided not to pursue since charges would have only been for traffic violations.

Moments later, the car crashed into the building.

Three people who were inside the vehicle were hospitalized after the crash, two with serious injuries and one with minor injuries, according to the Kansas City Fire Department.

The building, which has a sign that reads “H & H Plumbing and Heating,” was left with a gaping hole in its facade. Dennis Hammontree, the building’s 83-year-old owner, looked on at the damaged building Friday morning from across the street, waiting to find out if it would be condemned.

A second building nearby, which Hammontree also owns, was slightly damaged by a light pole that the car hit.

A fire department spokesperson said investigators are evaluating the structural stability of the buildings.

Friday morning, people could be seen taking things out of the building, which was being used mostly for storage. Hammontree said he knew of two people who had taken up residence in the space.

The incident has caused stress for Hammontree, who said he still works part-time as a plumber to make ends meet. Social Security benefits haven’t been enough, and the buildings he owns have been in disrepair for some time.

Friday morning, Hammontree said, he got a call from a woman working with the city’s dangerous buildings department who told him he has 24 hours to board up and secure the building that was severely damaged. He’s not sure how that will get done.

“I keep a lot of my (equipment) in there. I’ve been trying to keep going as long as I can take care of some of my old customers that are as old as I am, and I’ve cut back a lot,” Hammontree said.

‘I’m just surviving’

The dilapidated building has served as storage for machines and other equipment Hammontree uses for his plumbing work. Next to a desk and minimal office supplies sat pipe cutting machines, sewer machines and a drain cleaning machine.

Hammontree bought the buildings for $10,000 each in the early 2000s from his brother. The buildings were gifted in a family will after Hammontree’s mother died.

Hammontree’s family bought four commercial buildings on 9th Street in the late 1960s. His father had a plumbing business, and Hammontree began working with him before their move to northeast Kansas City.

The buildings are now a shell of what they once were. Since owning his two buildings, Hammontree said he has had to get a new roof and do countless repairs.

Even in its state of serious disrepair, the property was valued at $65,000, Hammontree said.

“I pay over $2,000 in real estate taxes on a building that I paid $10,000 for and what I consider ain’t worth $5,000,” Hammontree said. “It’s kind of just a roof over your head. But there’s nothing fancy about them at all. I mean, they’re real old.”

“Between what I can make in my Social Security and the business, I’ve just been surviving, of course,” Hammontree said.

Owner fears buildings will be torn down

Walking up to the scene Thursday night, Hammontree was overwhelmed with emotion, he said.

“They wouldn’t let me cross the police tape last night because it was a crime scene, so I didn’t even get to go around and look at anything,” Hammontree said. “I talked to a police officer, and I said, ‘What can I do at this point?’ He said, ‘You might as well go home. Let me get your phone number. Somebody will contact you.’”

On Friday, Hammontree was trying to put the pieces together and figure out what his next steps were.

He said he fears whether he will be able to continue plumbing, and that he has a feeling the buildings will be considered dangerous and have to be demolished.

“It affects a lot of things,” Hammontree said. “And I had nothing to do with what happened here.”

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