A cast boot, worn by a woman driver on her right foot, was “a factor” when she crashed a sports utility vehicle into the wall of the infant room at Childtime child care center in Redmond Monday afternoon, Redmond Police confirmed Wednesday.
The center, located at 4306 156th Ave. NE inside the Archstone Redmond Apartment Campus, is closed for repairs after a 45-year-old North Bend woman drove a 2006 Toyota RAV-4 SUV halfway through an exterior wall and into the center.
“The cast on the driver’s foot was a factor in the accident,” said Redmond Police Lt. Charlie Gorman. “Conclusions as to the exact cause, and any subsequent charges resulting from the collision, are pending lab results which may take several weeks.”
Police questioned the woman, who was at the center to pick up her grandchild, after the incident, but did not arrest her, Gorman said.
Collision investigators from the Redmond Police Department’s Traffic Division are continuing their investigation into the cause of the accident, Gorman said.
“The results of the investigation should determine if any charges are filed and what they may be,” Gorman said.
There were seven infants between the ages of 3-9 months, as well as child care center employees inside the center when the SUV crashed into the wall.
Two infants were transported to Overlake Hospital Medical Center in Bellevue and another infant was rushed to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for precautionary reasons, Gorman said. None of the injuries were serious and all three were released later Monday night, according to Amy Popp, marketing communications manager for Learning Care Group Inc., Childtime’s parent company.
Popp said the Redmond center will be closed until repairs are done and with plans to re-open on Tuesday. The infants and kids who attend Redmond Childtime have been re-located to other nearby child centers until Redmond Childtime opens back up, Popp said.
“Safety is our biggest concern,” she said. “We want to make sure the building is completely stable before re-opening.”
Cindy Newell, the center’s director, declined to comment when asked about the incident by the Redmond Reporter, saying that she wanted to focus her efforts on restoring order to the center and getting it back open for the families it serves.
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