By Michael McGough
The Sacramento Bee
PLACER COUNTY, Calif. — A shopper was hurt Wednesday morning after a car plowed into a Dollar Tree store in Placer County, authorities said.
A silver Mini Cooper crashed through the window facade of the Dollar Tree location off of New Airport Road in North Auburn, Cal Fire’s Nevada-Yuba-Placer unit said in a social media post shortly before noon.
The entire vehicle ended up inside the store, photos posted by Cal Fire showed, and injured one shopper. Firefighters and an ambulance were dispatched to the scene, authorities said.
Investigators determined that a dog inside the Mini jumped into the vehicle’s footwell as the driver was attempting to park in front of the store, the California Highway Patrol’s Auburn office said in an Instagram post. The dog forced the woman’s foot onto the accelerator before she could place the car in park, leading the Mini to drive over the curb and into the store window, CHP officials said.
The injured party was an elderly shopper who was not hit directly by the vehicle, but fell down as a result of the crash, according to the CHP.
The Mini damaged the storefront of Dollar Tree and knocked over shelving, spilling flowers, shelving and other debris, the photos showed.
No other vehicles were involved in the crash, Cal Fire officials said.
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