RCMP believe an elderly driver may have mistakenly accelerated in reverse, sending his late model Jaguar careering backward down the north sidewalk of High Street below 1st, knocking over a fire hydrant, scraping the wall of Mr. Popper’s Sweet Shoppe, then flattening a parking sign before coming to rest.
People who witnessed the accident are trying to figure out how no-one was injured, other than the driver, who appeared shaken up when taken away by ambulance for evaluation.
Vicky Gautreau, the manager of Mr. Popper’s, had just finished interviewing a 16 year-old prospective employee at an outdoor table on the sidewalk, and had reentered the store when the building shuddered and the car rocketed by in reverse.
“She (the student) had just left and I came in,” Gautreau said. “We’re very fortunate no-one was hurt. We have a lot of children who come in here.”
Hailey Primrose, who was also at the shop, left for the post office along the north sidewalk, only to return a few minutes later to scene of devastation.