Four vehicles and a building were damaged Tuesday morning in a freak accident on Western Avenue in Manchester.
Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office Staff Sgt. Frank Hatch, said a 2010 Mitsubishi SUV shot straight across Western Avenue in Manchester from the parking lot of J&S Oil Express Stop and into the parking lot and building of Lady’s Auto Sales just before 8 a.m. Tuesday.
Hatch said that en route, the Mitsubishi struck and spun around an eastbound vehicle and then continued into the auto sales parking lot where it pushed one car into another before crashing through the showroom windows and coming to rest almost completely inside the building.
Hatch said the SUV driver, Peter Laney, 61, of Manchester, suffered a medical problem and does not recall even driving across the street.
The driver of the eastbound 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix, Reynold Wing, 78, and his wife Jacqueline, 77, a passenger, of North Monmouth, were uninjured. Both Laney’s vehicle and Wing’s vehicle were towed from the scene.
Hatch said people were treated at the scene for minor bumps and bruises and no one was taken to the hospital. He said it was lucky that no one was sitting inside the building near the doors.
Along with Kennebec Sheriff’s deputies, Manchester Fire Department and Winthrop Ambulance responded to the scene.
Hatch said commuter traffic was interrupted only briefly because the Wing vehicle ended up in the center, turning lane.
Sarah Snowman, manager of Lady’s Auto Sales, said she arrived at the business about 15 minutes after the crash, and she praised the two mechanics, Casey Bernier and Ethan Pooler, who ran to assist the driver.
“They were trying to turn (the car) off so it didn’t catch fire,” Snowman said. She said they had been working when they heard the crash that occurred in the street.
She said two customers waiting outside for the business to open at 8 a.m. had to jump out of the way.
Lady’s Auto Sales was closed for a few hours Tuesday morning to assess the damage and do clean up, but it reopened once the hole in the building was covered up, Snowman said.
“We are still open,” she said Tuesday afternoon. “It may look like we’re under construction.”
She said insurance companies had been called as well.
Betty Adams — 621-5631
Twitter: @betadams
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