Lucky escape as car smashes into shop
A MAN and a three-year-old girl were lucky to escape without injury after a “horrific” smash led to a car cannoning into the shopfront of a Mossman florist.
The out-of-control car left a trail of destruction in the quiet Far North town on Monday morning after driving through an intersection onto the footpath and smashing through the Front Street building.
The driver and the girl were transported to the
Mossman Hospital for observation but were uninjured following the bizarre incident.
Owner of the Cignall tobacco store, Cathy Robinson, was inside her building next door when she heard “an almighty bang” about 7.30am.
“We are the only place open at that time and I just heard this massive smash,” she said. “It was just an almighty bang and I thought, ‘oh hell, what has happened?’ I walked out the front, I just thought, ‘oh my God’.
“There was a little girl in the car but she was ok. One of my customers gave her a toy
to take to the hospital which was really lovely.”
Senior Constable Cassandra Hill from Mossman Police said they were investigating whether the driver may have suffered a medical condition.
“The vehicle has come straight across the intersection and gone straight through the shop front,” she said.
“It was an empty shop.” Yum Yums owner Sarah Weatherue said they were concerned for the florist business owner, Heike Anderson.
Ms Andrson did not want
to comment.
“All we know is the driver wasn’t hurt and the little girl wasn’t hurt, but we are a bit worried about the owner,” she said.
“It was pretty horrific. We were all pretty worried and it’s just great that everyone is OK. Something like this to happen just before Christmas, it’s not ideal.”
Ms Robinson said she was counting her blessings the car didn’t cannon into her building, where it could have caused injuries.
“It’s not something you see every day,” she said.
“Everyone has been saying how lucky I am that it wasn’t this shop. I was taking out stock so I’m not sure what it would have done.
“As long as they are OK and it appears no one was hurt, so that is the main thing.”
Paramedics and police were first called to the premises in Mossman’s main street after reports of the crash.
Another witness at the scene described it as unusual because the vehicle “has gone right through to the back” of the building. Police are investigating the incident.