Century-Old Tulsa Business Struggling To Recover After Car Crashed Into Building

A Tulsa business owner is struggling to recover after a car crashed into his building during a police chase. “It hurts pretty bad," said Richard Stufflebeam, owner of Tulsa Stove Hospital.

Stufflebeam said when he saw the damage to his building, the first thing he asked himself was, "what am I going to do?" “With about five hours of sweat equity, with 2x4s and plywood, and $600 worth of materials,” said Stufflebeam.

He boarded up the gaping hole in the building but it's essentially just a band-aid. The building needs permanent repairs.

“I need masonry work and I need bricks that matches the building,” said Stufflebeam. Stufflebeam said the materials to patch fix the building will cost him thousands of dollars.

He said the driver who crashed into the building was uninsured and the car was stolen, so he won't get money from a settlement. Stufflebeam said the only way he's going to get this project finished is to borrow money to do the repairs.

“I’m looking for some kind of financing right now, I’m going to get a loan on my building to help me with this if that’s possible,” said Stufflebeam.

The Tulsa Stove Hospital has been in Tulsa since 1921, and Stufflebeam said he's not ready to end that journey. “I’m not ready to stop. I’m not ready to stay at home,” said Stufflebeam.

He said all he can do is look ahead and hope for brighter days. “Get over it. And keep on going. Keep my business going,” said Stufflebeam.