BANGOR, Maine — A Holden woman escaped injury early Friday morning when her sport utility vehicle crashed into a local Rite Aid, according to police.
Sharon Karl, 68, had tried to put her car in park when the vehicle accelerated into the wall of the Rite Aid on Broadway, according to Bangor police Sgt. Garry Higgins.
“The car accelerated when she was trying to go park, so it lunged forward for whatever reason,” said Higgins, citing the vehicle may have had mechanical problems.
Karl had attempted to back up after hitting the wall, creating a hole, Higgins said, and then her vehicle lunged forward and hit the wall a second time.
Higgins said there were employees in the store at the time, but nobody was injured. Karl, who also wasn’t hurt, isn’t expected to be charged, the sergeant said.
Karl’s vehicle had front-end damage, according to Higgins.
Just thought Rite-Aid had a drive-thru…
Looks like this Rite Aide has 2 drive thru’s now.
The actual drive-thru is on the other side of the building……
not anymore….
Most of these accidents are the result of hitting the wrong pedal. Often when someone realizes the mistake they actually panick and hit the gas again.
Usually involving an aging operator…(you left that out)
Sometimes, but not always. Very few of our older citizens are texting and driving are they?We didn’t complain about their driving when they were driving jeeps, tanks and landing craft back in WWII, Korea and Vietnam did we?
A texter can put their phone down.A drunk can drive sober at other time.Old people are a menace EVERY TIME and politicians are too gutless and pandering for votes to do anything.
Every Time? Really?
Every time.If you have something medical/age related that impacts your driving,that happens every time you get behind the wheel and endanger others.Not to mention old people are stubborn and won’t listen to reason.
That’s not what you said the first time.
How so?
I’ll bet you drive a pickup. I’m an “older driver” or make that old and I just may be a safer driver than you. Thanks for the laugh!
As usual you’d be WRONG. You won’t laugh when one of those people you’re so busy defending injures or kills someone you love.I am on 95 5 days a week and I worry about three things-weather,moose and old people.I know if there’s an accident none of them will be held responsible.
Karma will bite you in the behind at a later date. You too are aging.
I think there should be a YEARLY retest at age 65 and up.Will never happen since AARP will get them all riled up.When I reach 65 I’m happy to take that test.
Or test everybody every 5 years…
avoids the aarp getting uptight about age discrimination, etc.
You’ll be 68 someday, hopefully. I hope they take your licence away. Furthermore, 68 isn’t that old!
I’m glad you said it Pines59! Since when is 68 old? You have NO idea what was going on with this person. Could be a diabetic and having a low blood sugar event due to medicine, or even a high blood glucose. Sheesh… give it a rest. I’ve seen a 34 year old do the exact same darn thing here in town and hit the grocery store.
You must be a texter and a drunk to come on that way.
Neither.Wrong again.
That was 1942 to about 1973. At the very least, 39 years ago. Your last sentence makes no sense when talking about the aging driver…..in the present day.
Every 85 year old is not a bad driver. Yes we should test people at a certain age, but until someone has the guts to do it they are out there with the rest of us. Visit a body shop and ask them what percentage of the accidents involve older folks. You might be surprised.
Look at any ins. co. accident data graph-it forms a U.The youngest and oldest are at the high end of the scale.
driving during wars decades ago has nothing to do with this.
You’re right- we don’t owe the “Greatest Generation” anything. Just because they saved us from a life of tyranny why should we cut them a little slack behind the wheel.
what? are you serious? If a person is a danger to themselves or others driving, I don’t care if they have a purple heart. Being a veteran does not entitle one to endanger others on the road.
Vets, of all people, recognize that fact. Yes, they deserve honor and respect, but they realize that having served does not exempt them from the rules the rest of us have to follow.
I’m not saying that we should not test older drivers. We just shouldn’t decide that most older folks can’t drive well. My point is that we should make every effort to be fair to these people. If they can drive safely, I don’t care how old they are. I was not talking just about this lady who hit the Rite-Aid. By the way, 68 is not old.
and if your children or grandchildren happened to be walking outside the rite aid when she slammed into it, I bet you would feel the same?
They were alot younger then & had all their faculties.
They weren’t old then, whats your point? Because you served our country and are now half blind, i should be ok with you driving on our roads, potentially killing me?
What I like about your comment is you posted it before the age of the driver was released. +10.
That’s why they’re crashes, not “accidents.”
Google search “Car crashes into Rite Aid”….I kid you not….page after page. Rite Aid just isn’t a safe place to shop anymore :-)
consider that older folks are Rite-Aid’s target demographic, and that with age often comes driving impairment.
opps…duplicate post
That’ll buff out.
Q-Tip central is the Rite Aid parking lot of younamethetown, USA. I am certain that this will involve a faulty accelerator and/or brake pedal. I hope it wasn’t mom….
Headline should read, “Ford (not toyota) crashes into Rite Aid”…. I’m pretty sure the car company is responsibile for this accident and should have a class action lawsuit brought against them… I have heard where Fords have crashed before…
Is Chevy the new Ford, because I belive that is a Ford.
Looks like a trailblazer to me.
Nope, see the blue oval above the plate. That’s a Ford Explorer.
Actually it is a Ford Escape, but at least you were close.
Thank you for correcting me, but is she still in the vehicle in the headline picture?
I’ll edit to Ford, I think the evil Ford motor company is at fault here, because a lack of brake pedals.
Hey, BDN folks the commentators don’t like your story, so they are writing their own… Why don’t you start a award site where people who embellish a story in the best manner win a free newspaper.
Yep. And the price of a newspaper these days, it will really be a prize to covet.
Dear Rite-Aid,
We have begun our nationwide campaign against your buildings to protest your undersized and cigarette butt strewn parking places and shall continue to target your stores until the problem is corrected.
Signed,
The Cars
The sign does say “Drive thru” …………………………..
no it don’t says Handi- cap parking.
That’s what we call a Twofer.
This is not the first time that side of the building has been hit by a vehicle.
At least he/she missed the pole with the handicapped sign on it.
If you cant get all the way in on the first crash, give er another try !
What? I thought the brake pedal was on the right side….
I always thought it was the pedal on the left, usually makes this light that reads “brake” light up on my dash board, talk about sudden stops though and neck cramps, geesh, then on some cars they put a lever next to your seat, should have seen it when I thought that was an eject lever and instead hit the steering wheel….
Double parked?
she may not be charged, but may be should have a test to see if she is still able to drive safely…for herself and the rest of us
I am baffled, that is all it takes is a story that your vehicle may have mechanical problems by saying “it lunged forward for no reasons twice” and that’s it. No charges cop walks away. Swerve just a little bit in a non reckless manner into another lane, you get lit up and pulled over and questioned if you are intoxicated and take a field sobriety test. If I ever get in an accident in Bangor I am going to tell the cop my vehicle kept lunging forward and I will know everything will be just fine
The ” mechanical problem” was that the brake and gas pedals switched function – happens all the time, especially to older drivers.
dwo
Been a long spell since we last had driving-into-a-building story.
If at first you don’t succeed …………………..
I’d like to start tracking how many times this happens in a year in the State of Maine with older drivers…..it happens way more than the older politicians want us to think it does, so they say everything is cell phone related!
Broadway is a street not an Avenue, caption needs correcting
Man, Rite Aids are getting dangerous.
I noticed looking at the picture that had she parked legally in the parking spot instead of the handicap “ramp” area, she would have hit the cement pole rather than go through the building.
I would bet if there was a video, we would see her talking on the phone……just saying.
I’m just glad it wasn’t me driving the car.
Is this the same person that backed into Top Shelf Comics last year?
Holy Drive Thru, Bat Man!
Clearly that brick wall is dangerous to all the people who crash int it. Rite Aid should place barriers such as those added to NASCAR tracks after Dale Earhardts crash. All Rite Aids should have padded walls. Congress must act NOW!
C’mon Rite Aid, do the right thing. Don’t kill my Grandma.