SALEM, MASS. (WHDH) – A driver recently explained what happened that led him to crash into a Salem pet grooming business a day after surveillance video showed the crash Tuesday afternoon.
SKY7-HD ended up outside Boston Street around 5:15 pm Tuesday, where people were seen walking their dogs out of the affected business.
On the ground, the video showed a blue car pulling into a parking space before jumping the curb and heading straight for the store.
“I wanted to get a little closer and all of a sudden I saw my car going forward,” said Shirley Beauvais Riley. “So, I got nervous and I tried to find the brake and it went through the shop.”
Riley, 85, said he was behind the wheel with his sister-in-law in the passenger seat.
“I was just saying ‘When is this car going to stop?’ And it stopped in the middle,” Riley said.
Riley was supposed to pick up her Shih Tzu, “Rocky,” after she fixed up at “Laundro-Mutt.” He told police he stepped on the gas instead of the brake.
Linda Jackson, who lives above the crash site, said she heard a loud noise and felt shaking but didn’t have any major impacts.
“Fortunately there was no structural damage,” Jackson said.
While residents in the area said their apartments were fine, video showed the car smashing through the front window of the Laundro-Mutt itself, filling the space with broken glass.
The business owner and five pets were inside the store, including Riley’s “Rocky” who was trapped in a cage behind the counter of the business, according to police.
Emergency crews said no one was hurt. However, many displays and countertops were destroyed. And a water pipe broke.
As for Riley, he is relieved that everyone is safe and says that this incident was a tragic accident.
“I’ve heard so many people do that before and I said ‘Oh my God, I would never do that. How can they do this?’ Right?” he says. “And I did.”
The Laundro-Mutt was closed, with its window boarded up Wednesday.
While police said they have no plans to charge or ticket Riley, officials said they contacted the RMV to revoke his license, calling him an immediate threat.
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