Three people were injured Tuesday afternoon when a sport-utility vehicle smashed into a Thrifty Foods store in the Saanich Centre shopping complex at Quadra Street and McKenzie Avenue
The incident happened about 3 p.m. when a vehicle driven by a 75-year-old woman plowed into the store.
Saanich police Sgt. Steve Eassie said all three victims were inside the store and were taken to hospital by ambulance for treatment. Injuries included a possible concussion and soft-tissue damage. “It didn’t appear to be anything major,” Eassie said.
No staff members were among those hurt.
Fady Kardoush, who works across the parking lot from Thrifty Foods, saw the SUV lurch inside. “My co-worker was inside at the cashier, right beside where the vehicle went in.” The colleague was unhurt, Kardoush said.
He said the driver was able to walk away from the wreck.
Kardoush said the car went into the store in front of a parking stall. “It looked as if she was pulling into it and overshot it.”
Melissa Keller, a stylist at Evolve Hair Studio across from Thrifty Foods, heard a loud crash and called 911 when she saw the car smashed into the entrance.
“There was food everywhere and people were rushing out,” she said, adding police officers at the Starbucks next door were quickly on scene. “The driver looked stunned and shocked.”
Keller said the one-way, busy Saanich Centre parking lot is prone to similar accidents. The salon had a car crash into the front window in April. Employees at Planet Organic and London Drugs also confirmed they’ve had vehicles crash into their stores. A vehicle also drove through the front of the Thrifty Foods store in January 2009.
“It would be nice if something was done about it, like a barricade on the curb or anything,” Keller said.
Eassie said police are trying to determine the cause of the crash.
“Although the investigation is still ongoing, it does not appear as though a medical issue or a mechanical issue were factors,” he said. “It would appear as though it may have been driver error.”
Charges under the Motor Vehicle Act are being looked at, Eassie said.
Thrifty Foods spokesman Ralf Mundel said the company’s primary concern is the well-being of the injured. The store was briefly evacuated; it reopened in the evening.
Construction crews were dispatched to repair the “gaping hole” left behind, he said.
“That’s the minor stuff, the most important thing is the people.”
CRD photo
