Officials say they don’t have a clue as to why this unusual, but interesting, accident took place …
Up the curb, and into the restaurant – a driver’s mistake with the pedals, police say.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
About 3:00 p.m., both the Police and Fire Bureaus were called to the Subway Sandwich restaurant at 8001-M S.E. Powell Boulevard – it’s in the strip mall north of the Food-4-Less Market – to deal with a vehicle driven right into the shop.
Portland Fire & Rescue’s Truck 25 rolled out to the scene – but were told it wasn’t a life-threatening emergency, even though they referred to the wreck as a “pin-in”. The 9-1-1 dispatcher radioed, “It’s not the occupants of the car that are trapped inside the vehicle. The front door of the store is jammed shut; people can’t get in and out!”
A Portland Police Bureau sergeant at the scene told us it was the second time in two weeks that a vehicle had driven into the glass storefront of merchants in the same strip mall.
Using a manually-powered hydraulic jacking system, a Portland Fire & Rescue crew member of Truck 25 pries the shop’s door open after a Ford smashed into it.
Considering the height of the sidewalk, it was surprising to see the Ford Focus all the way up on the walkway, and into the sandwich shop’s window. The driver of the vehicle and her daughter were uninjured, we learned. “It was a mistake of hitting the gas pedal instead of the brake.”
Be careful and take your time – being in a hurry will sometimes ruin your entire day. Or longer.
© 2010 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News
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