Nampa car crash injured two people

Two people were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries when a car crashed through the front door of a Nampa Verizon Wireless store Wednesday, Nampa Police Sgt. Matt Pavelek said.

Several others were treated and released on scene.
The crash remains under investigation, but Pavelek said the driver — a 72-year-old woman whose name has not been released — likely stepped on the gas instead of the brake as she pulled into a parking space.

The Oldsmobile Alero went about halfway into the store before it struck a wall and came to a stop, he said. Neither the driver nor her passenger was injured.

Pavelek could not comment on whether charges are likely.
Alcohol did not appear to be a factor, Nampa Police Sgt. Tim Randall said.

Cory Berenes, a customer at the store, said he was at the counter with his back to the door when the car smashed through the entrance.

“I was waiting for them to activate my phone,” Berenes said. “I heard a really loud noise and turned around, and I couldn’t believe what I saw. The car drove through the store.”

He said he didn’t see anyone get hit by the car, but heard one of the store’s employees screaming about her leg.

Berenes said he’d estimate the car’s speed at about 15-20 mph as it crashed through the front of the store, but Pavelek said he couldn’t confirm how fast it was going.