A 91-year-old Redmond man was arrested for reckless driving and suspicion of driving under the influence of prescription drugs Thursday after he drove his Cadillac CTS through a downtown business.
The driver hopped a curb, crashed through the front entrance of SunShine Foot Spa, through the receptionist area, and came to a complete stop 55 feet into the business.
The driver, an employee and patron were transported to Redmond hospitals to treat minor injuries.
The accident happened around 1:30 p.m. and Redmond police spokesperson Jim Bove said the car stopped just inches away from another employee. The injuries for all three people seemed to be limited to cuts, he said.
The driver, who turned 91 today, was taken to Swedish Medical Center in Redmond while the women were taken to Evergreen Medical Center in Redmond, according to Bove.
The car took out SunShine’s front desk and Bove said it was very lucky that others were not injured as there had been about 10 people in the spa at the time.
The owners of SunShine, located at 16807 Redmond Way, were not available for a comment.
Bove said the driver had accidentally stepped on the gas pedal instead of the brake pedal, driving the car into the building. Redmond police are currently investigating to see if any other factors contributed to the accident and if the driver will be charged.
Hanna Hoien, who works next door to the spa at Emerald City Smoothie, was in her store with a customer when the car crashed into the building. She said she didn’t see what happened, but she felt it.
“Everything immediately started shaking,” she said. “I thought it was an earthquake … I almost went to duck and cover.”
Hoien rushed out to see what had happened and was surprised to see “a full car inside a store.” She said it looked like the building had collapsed on top of the car and asked police officers, who arrived within minutes of being called, if anyone was trapped inside.
Fortunately, no one was.
Hoien also said she could only imagine what the customers receiving massages went through at the time.
“The last thing you think is going to come through the wall is a car,” she said.
While Hoien only felt what had happened, Heon Eyi saw it. The manager of Peking Restaurant, which is located in a separate building in the same shopping plaza, was in her restaurant when she saw a white car speeding in the parking lot. She said she was surprised and wasn’t sure what was happening.
“This is a parking lot, not a freeway,” Eyi said.
Eyi, Hoien and other employees and business owners in the center said it was a miracle only three people were injured.