A teenager is fighting for his life at a Philadelphia hospital after an elderly woman crashed her SUV through a storefront on Monday afternoon.
Police said four people were injured when a 71-year-old woman attempted to park her Kia Sportage, but hit the accelerator instead, and drove the SUV through the front of the Rainbow Shop clothing store on the 2400 block of South 24th Street in South Philadelphia at about 1:30 p.m.
A 16-year-old boy standing on the sidewalk outside of the store was dragged into the store and pinned underneath the vehicle. Officials said the SUV careened about 25 feet inside the store before coming to a stop. Witnesses reportedly attempted to lift the SUV, and a bystander came with a car jack, which was used to free the pinned teenager. The boy reportedly suffered injuries to his head and torso.
“All the sudden you hear this bang, so I turned around and all you see is the mannequins on the floor, the glass all over the floor but I don’t see the little boy,” Daniel Garcia told CBS Philadelphia. “Once he lifted up the car, I guess the position that the boy was in, the blood started coming out.”
A 57-year-old woman, and two teenage girls, ages 14 and 15-years old, were also taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
The driver was taken to the hospital to be evaluated.
Elaine Dabbundo told KYW News Radio that she initially thought the sound of the crash was a gunshot.
“I heard [the boy] moaning and I heard the moan getting lighter and lighter,” Dabbundo told the station, adding that driver was visibly distraught.
“She was shaken up, she was crying,” Dabbundo said.
No charges have been filed against the driver as of Tuesday.
