Part of historic Desert Inn near Orlando collapses after semitrailer hits building

OSCEOLA COUNTY— A part of the historic Desert Inn and Restaurant in Yeehaw Junction, Florida, collapsed early Sunday morning after a semitrailer hit the building.

Florida Highway Patrol troopers said a man hauling orange juice crashed into the building south of Orlando around 3:15 a.m.

The driver, Mareo Crawley, 50, of Chicago, told troopers he didn't realize he had driven off the road in the dark. No one was inside the building.

Troopers said when a tow truck pulled the semi out from where it crashed, part of the  building collapsed.

The crash remains under investigation and charges are pending, troopers said.

Lisa Mason, who ran the inn before its closure, told the Associated Press she had hoped to reopen the inn next year.

The inn is the centerpiece of Yeehaw Junction, a tiny respite off Florida's Turnpike between South Florida and Orlando.

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.

Contributing: The Associated Press