Odd crashes plague Kamloops
One man was taken to hospital on Thursday morning (June 16) after being pinned by a car against a North Kamloops building.
At about 11:15 a.m., emergency crews were called to Sure Print and Copy, 552 Tranquille Rd., after a Toyota Rav-4 smashed through the store's front window, striking a pedestrian along the way.
Kamloops RCMP Staff Sgt. Grant Learned said the driver of the Rav-4 — who witnesses described as "elderly" — was trying to back into a parking stall when he got his foot stuck on the gas pedal.
The driver told investigators he was wearing a brace on his lower leg and a new pair of shoes, which became lodged in the accelerator and caused his vehicle to enter the building.
The victim was pinned between the car and the building for about 30 seconds, Learned said. He was taken to Royal Inland Hospital with a broken collar bone and was expected to be released shortly after.
The driver was handed a ticket for driving without due care and attention.
The incident marked the second time in as many days a North Shore business had been hit by an errant parker.
On Wednesday morning, a woman was attempting to park at the Bank of Montreal in the 700-block of Fortune Drive when she hit the gas instead of the brake and ended up driving through the bank's front windows.
The driver — described by police as an elderly woman — was the only person injured. She was taken to hospital complaining of neck pain.
Learned said a similar incident occurred last week in Valleyview, when a woman attempting to park in front of her home hit the curb, became startled, and ended up plowing into her house.
The driver in that instance was a woman in her early 50s.
"I don't know what the issue is," Learned said.
"It does happen. We've seen it happen before in Kamloops. But to have three in the last 10 days, where someone has driven their vehicle into a building, is quite unusual."
A number of other car crashes also kept police busy on Kamloops streets on Thursday.
Just after 2:30 p.m., emergency crews were called to Hillside Drive at Pacific Way after a pedestrian was struck by a vehicle coming out of a parking lot.
The female pedestrian suffered injuries to her head and mid-section, according to police.
The driver of the vehicle was given a ticket for failing to yield to a pedestrian and unsafe start.
At bout 5:30 p.m., police were called to a single-vehicle crash on Ord Road near McLean Street, where a motorcycle left the road and hit the ditch.
Investigators believe the bike was travelling at low speeds when the driver lost control. He struck his head on impact and was taken to Royal Inland Hospital as a precaution.
A minor collision on Notre Dame Drive between Columbia Street and Summit Drive also tied up traffic in the area briefly over the lunch hour.
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