A Bristol man, Joseph Hagen, 47, was charged with driving under the influence and negligent operation in a three-car crash that left his car embedded in Waitsfield Village Pottery in the Larrow House on Tuesday afternoon. No serious injuries were reported in the crash, and potter Ulrike Tessmer was not in her shop at the time.
The three-car crash happened shortly before 5:00 p.m. on March 31, according to Vermont State Police Trooper Alyssa Nozka. It snarled traffic on Route 100 and the Bridge Street intersection as firefighters, EMS, and law enforcement arrived on site and processed the scene.
She noted that while speaking with Hagan, troopers detected indicators of impairment. Hagan was transported to Central Vermont Medical Center for evaluation and probable cause was determined to screen him for DUI while at the hospital.
Photo by Reese Laliberte
Nozka reported that Hagen was traveling south on Route 100 in a Subaru Legacy when he struck two vehicles that were also southbound. His car left the roadway and came to an uncontrolled rest in the first floor of the Larrow House, where Waitsfield Pottery is on the lower level, Micaiah’s Barbershop is on the second level, and an apartment and real estate offices are on the third floor.
Before leaving the travel lane, Hagen’s Subaru hit a Toyota Corolla driven by Julian Fairchild, 20, Warren, and a Chevrolet Colorado driven by Eric Baruzzi, 50, Fayston. All drivers were wearing seatbelts. Hagen’s car was totaled, and the trucks both received minor damage.
Hagen was issued a citation to appear in Washington County Superior Court – Criminal Division on April 9, 2026.
In November a northbound car took flight and ended up embedded in a building in the Bridge Street Marketplace, just south of the Main Street and Bridge Street intersection. That car ended up in the red building immediately north of Darrad Services, after shearing off the front porch of the Darrad building.
Last Saturday a car ended up in the Mad River near the Bridge Street Marketplace parking lot by the Mad River and the Twisted Halo. (See additional police report).
