A woman escaped serious injury after her car rammed the 911 Hildebrand Building on Bainbridge Island just before 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.
The woman was on her way to an appointment in the Kitsap Physical Therapy office, on the first floor of the building, when her car suddenly accelerated and hit the building.
The impact shook the building and employees from multiple offices inside went out to the parking lot to find the source of the loud crash. (The 911 Hildebrand Building is also home to the Bainbridge Island Review.)
A large portion of the brick facade on the west side of the building collapsed, with a large curved piece landing on the front of the vehicle, a Chevrolet Bolt EV.
“It just flew into the building,” the woman told onlookers who rushed to help.
“I had my foot on the brake,” she added. “This car went like a bat out of hell.”
The accident happened in a flash, she said, “in a millisecond.”
“This car has a mind of its own,” the driver added.
Witnesses said they saw the woman turn in to park and the car suddenly speed up and hit the building.
The air bag of the vehicle did not deploy. As onlookers assisted the woman, an electronic voice could be heard coming from the inside of the Chevrolet: “Thank you for holding. Your Onstar representative will be with you in a moment.”
Inside Kitsap Physical Therapy, just on the other side of the wall the vehicle struck, the wall was pushed open nearly all the way to the ceiling.
No patients or staff were nearby at the time, however.
This is not the first time the building has been struck by a car.
In May 2014, an elderly man in a Lincoln LS accidentally drove his sedan into the 911 Hildebrand Building — striking just feet away from the more recent impact.
The man was not hurt in the crash and declined medical aid.
That driver had also been on his way to a physical therapy appointment and started to park in the lot when his vehicle lurched forward and struck the outside of the building.
Two windows were smashed and the building’s brick facade was also damaged.
Onlookers gather at the scene of the car crash Wednesday. (Luciano Marano | Bainbridge Island Review)
Part of the facade of the 911 Hildebrand Building rests on the hood of a Chevrolet Bolt EV after it crashed into the building. (Brian Kelly | Bainbridge Island Review)
