Driver Crashes Into Hudson Valley Business, Destroying Storefront

A Hudson Valley driver turned one local business into a drive-thru on Tuesday morning.

Just before 10am a huge crash was heard on Route 9 as a car busted its way through the front doors of a busy storefront. Eyewitnesses say there was no warning before a silver Honda CR-V jumped the curb and went flying through the glass doors, sending workers scrambling.

Emergency responders were seen sifting through the broken glass as they investigated the cause of the accident that left the storefront completely destroyed. Luckily, there were no injuries.

According to employees at the Verizon Wireless store on Route 9 in Poughkeepsie, an elderly driver attempting to park in front of the building just "kept going." A store manager explained that the woman did not appear to slow down at all as she hopped the curb and continued to drive right through the front of the store.

The store is located next to Barnes & Noble at 2544 South Road.

Verizon employees were visibly shaken but said they were relieved no one was anywhere near the entrance to the store when the accident occurred. The driver was also reportedly unharmed and was able to exit the car on her own.

It's unclear whether driver error or a malfunction of the car is to blame for the accident. Police were continuing to investigate the scene as the mangled vehicle was pulled from inside the store and loaded onto a truck. A building inspector was also on the scene surveying the damage.

It's unclear how long the damage will impact customers at the Verizon Wireless store, but those who have appointments will probably need to reschedule or visit another location as the mess gets cleaned up.

This certainly isn't the first time an elderly person has driven their car into a business. In 2017 an 83-year-old man was parking his Jeep Cherokee when his brakes failed and sent the car flying into the Beer World location in Monticello. In that case, the driver was found to be not at fault.

In May of 2020 two cars crashed into two separate businesses over the same weekend. One accident occurred at the Garden Street Plaza in Rhinebeck, while the other was in the Village of Wappingers.