Driver plows into Rodeo Road wellness center; no injuries
Santa Fe police say a woman accidentally drove her vehicle through the facade of a wellness center at a business plaza off Rodeo Road on Thursday afternoon. It was at least the third time this year that a vehicle has crashed through a local storefront.
No one was injured in the crash, which police said occurred when a 70-year old woman mistakenly hit the accelerator instead of the brake pedal while trying to park her four-door station wagon in front of the the DancingBones Wellness Center, 2801 Rodeo Road.
Sheila Nixon, owner of the business and co-owner with her husband of the nearby Joe’s Dining, said she heard what sounded like an explosion when the car smashed through the front window and door of the wellness center “and straight into our waiting room and a secondary wall.”
She said the crash caused extensive damage but that the wellness center, which treats joint and bone issues, will still be fulfilling appointments. Nixon said she and another employee, as well as two clients, were unscathed.
Nixon said the driver was a client. She said the only barrier in front of parking spots outside the business is the sidewalk curb.
In March, a 40-year-old woman told The New Mexican that when she crashed her vehicle through the front windows of Cato Fashions on Cerrillos Road she expected a barrier would stop her car. In 2013, an 83-year-old driver had smashed her Infiniti through the same storefront’s glass panels.
On March 2, an 81-year-old woman drove a gray Subaru Forester into Jambo Café after accelerating through the front of the restaurant.