Samket Patel outside The New Super Store. PHOTO/Pam Graham
The manager of a Masterton dairy says he’s lucky to be alive after a car crashed into it yesterday.
Samket Patel was standing right by the door of The New Super Store in Upper Plain Rd, moments before the crash at about 2pm.
Police said the Toyota sedan and the vehicle was “reasonably” damaged.
“I was very lucky. I was standing near the door looking at what we needed to order just before it happened,” he said.
He was about a metre or so away when the car hit.
He just remembers dust, shattering glass and a “big noise” as the car crashed through.
“I thought, ‘what is going on?” he said.
He said he was so stunned he was momentarily speechless but then called emergency services and his boss.
The woman driver, in her thirties, was able to get herself out of the car and he didn’t believe she was injured.
She spoke to police, who attended, and said sorry but there was no other conversation.
The car hit with such force it shunted a heavy drinks fridge down an aisle, sending eggs, cans and other goods flying.
The owner of the building was on his way from Wellington to organise making it safe, and the owner of the dairy was sweeping up the broken glass and damaged goods as onlookers looked curiously on.
There are carparks with barriers right up to the store front and Patel thought it was likely the woman hit the accelerator pedal, rather than the brake while parking.
