Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- Car crashed into Starbucks coffee outlet 1703 West Glenoaks Boulevard in Glendale February 15, 2013
The Starbucks coffee outlet at Western Avenue and Glenoaks Boulevard in Glendale shut down unexpectedly this afternoon, after a car crashed through the storefront, despite the safety bollards installed to prevent such mishaps. It happened shortly after 1 p.m.
There were no customers in the Starbucks at the time and the driver, an 86-year-old woman, was apparently not hurt. Glendale Information Officer, Sergeant Thomas Lorenz, says the driver, who does not want to be identified, refused treatment from paramedics.
Photo: FLLewis/Media Cit G -- Glendale firefighters cleaned up after car crashed through the front of Starbucks at 1703 West Glenoaks Boulevard Glendale February 15, 2013
A tow truck operator was able to drive the battered Dodge Stratus out of the Starbucks and onto a flatbed truck, leaving behind a lot of broken glass, transmission fluid, and debris. Glendale firefighters pitched in to help in the clean up.
I called that Starbucks, but the manager refused to talk about the incident saying it was against company policy to do so. Sgt. Lorenz says the elderly driver mixed up the accelerator with the brake and that was the cause of the accident. This is not the first time this type of accident has occurred at this Starbucks.
Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- Damaged Dodge Stratus on a flatbed tow truck near the Starbucks at 1703 West Glenoaks Boulevard Glendale February 15, 2013
In a strange twist of bad luck, last February another runaway vehicle slammed into the same Starbucks. In that incident, three people were taken to the hospital with “non-life-threatening” injuries, according to the Los Angeles Times. When I asked why the accident keeps occurring, Sgt. Lorenz said it’s just what happens when elderly drivers get confused and hit the accelerator instead of the brake.
