An elderly driver smashed into a Los Angeles car dealership Wednesday, striking and killing a 55-year-old woman who got pinned beneath the car and dragged several feet, officials said.
The unnamed victim was inside the Toyota dealership in the Mission Hills neighborhood just after 9 a.m. when the horrifying accident occurred, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
The 84-year-old female driver was taking her SUV into the shop’s enclosed service center when she unexpectedly sped through the area.
“The driver accelerated for unknown reasons and collided with several people who were inside,” police said.
Investigators theorize she may have accidentally stepped on the gas pedal instead of the brakes, Capt. Erik Scott, a public information officer for the Los Angeles Fire Department, told the Los Angeles Times.
She hit two employees and ran over the female customer as she sped through the bay and smashed through the wall into the customer reception area.
The car was forced to a halt after colliding into a cinderblock wall, with the severely wounded customer trapped underneath.
The woman was freed by quick-acting bystanders, including an off-duty nurse “who initiated CPR on the pulseless and non-breathing woman.”
She was rushed to a trauma center in grave condition but succumbed to her injuries.
Two male workers, aged 23 and 35, were also taken to area hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries.
The 84-year-old driver stayed at the scene to talk with investigators.
Pictures of the massive wreck show that her car was outfitted with handicapped plates.
Police believe the crash was accidental and have not made any arrests, though the investigation remains ongoing.
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