Two people were initially reported as having minor injuries.
Senior Sergeant Wayne Hunter, the head of the Western Bay of Plenty road policing team, said no one was injured.
Hunter said a 70-year-old Tauranga woman was parking her vehicle near the Te Puna Deli shop and “accidentally put her foot on the gas pedal” and drove through the front entrance of the deli
“The car was then put in reverse and ended up inside the Bottle Craft store across the car park.”
Hunter said a woman had been summoned to appear in a Tauranga court to face a charge of careless use of a motor vehicle.
The crash vehicle was still inside the Bottle Craft store when a reporter arrived on the scene and watched as a firefighter carefully drove the damaged Mazda out to the store.
A Te Puna Deli staff member cleans up some of the mess after a car crashed through the front entrance on August 22. Photo / Sandra Conchie
A staff member, who worked in an office upstairs from the Te Puna Deli, said she did not witness the crash but “felt and saw the aftermath”.
“I heard a big smashing sound and the building shook. I thought it was an explosion, and ran outside.”
The woman said she was shocked when she saw the damage to the deli, with broken glass and items spread everywhere and then realised a car was inside the Bottle Craft store.
“It must have been scary for the driver and anyone inside or standing near these two shops.”
Te Puna Deli owner Attila Kovács talking to a police officer after a car crashed through the front entrance of his shop. Photo / Sandra Conchie
Te Puna Deli owner Attila Kovács said he was not at his store at the time, but was on his way to meet up with a friend.
Kovác said while the store would be closed for the rest of the day to clean up the mess and arrange repairs, he wanted to assure customers the deli would be open on Saturday.
“Friday is one of our busiest days of the week, but this was an accident, and these things can be fixed. Fortunately, no one was hurt, which was my immediate concern.”
A Bottle Craft store manager, who asked not to be named, said shocked staff were working in the back of the premises when the car crashed through the front entrance.
He said the store reopened this afternoon after a big clean-up of the mess and temporary repairs.
The manager said it looked like there would be more than $15,000 in damages, but the business had insurance. He declined to make further comment.
Sandra Conchie is a senior journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post, who has been a journalist for 25 years. She mainly covers police, court and other justice stories, as well as general news. She has been a Canon Media Awards regional/community reporter of the year.
