Driver plows through entrance of West Vancouver Whole Foods
Authorities in West Vancouver say it's lucky more people were not harmed when a driver crashed his car through the entrance of a Whole Foods Friday, coming to a stop in the busy produce section.
Police, firefighters and multiple ambulances were called to the Park Royal location of the grocery store around 11:30 a.m., according to first responders. Images from the scene show an entrance that has been completely destroyed, mangled pieces of metal and piles of broken glass behind police tape.
A spokesperson for BC Emergency Health Services said paramedics took two people to the hospital in stable condition. Police on scene confirmed that one was the 80-year-old driver and another was a shopper who had been "brushed" by the vehicle.
"It’s not every day that we see something like this, and we are very, very fortunate that not more people were injured as a result of this," West Vancouver Police Department spokesperson Const. Nicole Braithwaite said, adding there were about two dozen people in the produce department at the time.
Assistant Fire Chief Garrith Michael says the car crashed into the store at a "high rate of speed" and says first responders treated several people at the scene for shock. He also says he was initially concerned about the possibility of a "mass casualty event." Like Braithwaite, he says the outcome was "extremely fortunate" given the potential for serious harm.
The cause of the crash has not been determined.
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