Car Plunges Seven Stories; Driver Survives

A car smashed through a metal barrier at a parking garage Wednesday and fell seven stories, narrowly missing people on a crowded sidewalk.

No one was injured and the car’s driver--a 30-year-old Ohio woman--was in stable condition at an area hospital after being treated for eye and bone injuries. Her name was not released.

“I think people were pretty much amazed that she survived, let alone didn’t have severe injuries,” Police Commander William Valenta said.

The accident happened at noon in a parking garage where sidewalks were bustling with workers on their lunch breaks. The driver told investigators she was pulling into a parking space when the brakes on her 1980 Buick Century failed, Valenta said.

A motorist who was nearby told officers that the Buick appeared to slow down before it suddenly accelerated and plunged through the barrier.

The car hit a traffic light as it fell and landed on the sidewalk on the driver’s side, collapsing the roof. Witnesses said it narrowly missed a man walking past, along with a bus and a car entering the garage.

Charges are not expected to be brought against the woman, Valenta said.