WOODLAND HILLS, LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Several people and a dog were injured Monday when a driver crashed into a Woodland Hills animal hospital.
The Veterinary Cancer Group is located in a strip mall at Ventura Boulevard and Winnetka Avenue.
The car shattered the front glass just after 12 p.m. The area was cordoned off with caution tape and the hospital was closed while the debris was cleared.
Initial evidence from police and witnesses suggests an elderly driver accidentally hit the wrong pedal and crashed into the building, then panicked and put the car in reverse, crashing into another part of the same store and completely immobilizing the Ford SUV building left behind.
Witnesses said the crash sounded like a bomb or a gunshot.
“I just heard a big bang and my colleagues said, ‘Run to the back, run to the back!'” said Donna Ahern, an employee at a veterinary clinic.
In the chaos, an injured dog escaped the facility and ran across busy Ventura Boulevard toward a Ralphs shopping center.
“I heard someone yelling for their dog,” Ahern said. “So I ran across the street to Ralphs to get her dog. I saw her dog was bleeding from the nose, so I think he was hit.”
She took the dog back to the hospital for treatment.
Several people were injured and at least one was taken to a hospital.
It was not immediately clear whether citations were issued against the driver.
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