Owners of the Virginia Beach Fishing Pier hope to reopen the pier for the summer season on schedule after repairing damage from a car that drove off the end of the structure in the early hours of Jan. 27.

D. Nachnani, president of the Atlantic Avenue Association, said an inspection has to happen before work begins.

“We have invited engineers to come in and take a look at the pier from beginning to end, from top to bottom,” he said.

“Once they make their recommendations, we will go ahead and make the necessary repairs, get everything approved from the city and then open up.”

Nachnani said they hope to have the pier open for its season, which usually runs March to November.

Bryan Clark with Virginia Beach’s communications department said city code enforcement visited the pier Feb. 2 and didn’t find any “obvious signs of damage” in the sand under the pier. He said they didn’t examine the pier’s underwater portions.

Bystanders recorded cell phone video of the car driving off the pier. The video generated thousands of views and national coverage even as efforts to recover the vehicle were stalled.

Rough seas and wind kept divers and machinery out of the water for most of the week following the crash. On Friday the ocean was calm enough for Crofton Industries, a diving and salvage firm based in Portsmouth, to use a dive team and crane to haul the car up early in the morning. 

The Virginia Beach Police Department said they believe the 57-year-old man’s actions were deliberate.

Police said the man was alone in his car and had been reported missing by his family. They won’t release his name.

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, please dial 988.

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