One person died and 14 others were injured Tuesday after a sports utility vehicle crashed through the front glass wall of a thrift store in Las Cruces, New Mexico, authorities said.
The Las Cruces Police Department reported in a social media post that 10 of those injured in Tuesday’s crash were taken to hospitals for treatment. Pamela Kaye Nelson, 67, died from her injuries, police said. Five people were evaluated at the scene, but refused to be transported to medical facilities, police said.
The 69-year-old woman and lone occupant of the Ford Explorer that careened into the store was not injured, police said. The driver’s name has not yet been released.
The woman was apparently trying to park her vehicle and stepped on the accelerator instead of the brakes, police said. The SUV then “jumped the curb and crashed through the facade,” police said in their release.
Las Cruces Police Department
Two of the injured were store employees and the rest were customers, police said. Those injured ranged in age from approximately 30 to 90 years old, police said.
The vehicle entered the Savers store near a self-checkout area and went all the way to the back side of the building, police said.
Elijah Sanchez, a Savers employee, said he heard people “screaming in pain” after the crash occurred about 10 a.m.
“It was pretty chaotic,” Sanchez told Las Cruces TV station KFOX 14/CBS 4. “I didn’t know what to think. But I just knew that the best thing to do was to try and go help the people who needed help.”