Injuries Minimal After Driver Crashes Into Salon

A car crashed through the plate glass window of a hair salon crowded with more than four dozen people Saturday, but only one person was slightly injured, authorities said.

The incident occurred at 9:16 a.m. when Ralph Cayer, 83, attempted to park his 1983 Toyota in front of Sara’s World of Beauty on the 5400 block of Beach Boulevard, said Orange County Fire Authority spokesman Dennis Shell.

Cayer, a La Mirada resident, stepped on the accelerator and the car jumped over a curb and crashed through the store’s front window, said Shell. There were 22 employees and 28 customers inside at the time but Romona Fitzger, the shop’s receptionist, was the only one hurt.

Cayer’s car came to a stop in front of Fitzger’s desk, but not before pushing the desk back and pinning her against a wall, Shell said. Fitzger, who lives in Norwalk, was taken by paramedics to St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton complaining of abdominal and leg pains. She was treated and released, said a hospital spokeswoman.

Cayer was not injured. A Buena Park police spokesman said the accident is under investigation.

Dozens of emergency personnel responded to the accident because of the extensive damage done to the store, Shell said. In addition to the shattered window, numerous ceiling tiles collapsed and several shelves were overturned, spilling cosmetics on the floor.

However, officials determined that the building was structurally sound and estimated it would be able to reopen in one or two weeks. A tow truck was summoned to pull Cayer’s car out of the store.