Crime & Safety

No Animals Hurt After Car Drives Through Veterinary Office

Only the lobby was damaged at Rancho Village Veterinary Hospital on Avocado Boulevard.

A car that was being driven by an elderly woman drove through the storefront window of a local veterinary office on Sunday morning, damaging the office lobby, according the the California Highway Patrol.

The accident happened at at 3647 Avocado Boulvard.

Officer Brian Pennings from the CHP told Mount Helix Patch that the woman was driving through the parking lot when she was broadsided by another car, who allegedly failed to stop at a stop sign. The force of the collision drove the elderly woman's car through the storefront about two feet.

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She was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. There were no other injuries reported.

Pam Henson, the hospital's office manager, arrived at about 10:30 a.m. after being notified of the crash. She  found the front windows of the storefront smashed through, but she said thankfully none of the animals were harmed. The hospital is closed on Sunday.

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Henson said that the car that drove through the window had already been towed away.

"My first thought was 'just go,'" said Henson, who lives in Ramona. "All I could think of was the animals. But once I got there and realized all of the animals were OK, nothing else really mattered. If it's just about re-building, that's fine. Everything else was OK."

Coincidentally, this is the second time that someone has driven into the office, the first happening in January 2008.

"I was thinking, 'Oh no, not again,'" Henson said, "but the first time they actually went into the exam rooms where animals were kept."

Henson said the plan moving forward is to just clean up the area and get the structure supported tonight. The rest of the week will be about finding a contractor to help rebuild the office. Estimates on the extent of the damage are not yet known.

"People have been great about stopping by coming to help out, so I thank them," she said. "I'm just glad no one was seriously hurt."

 Check back with Mount Helix Patch for updates on this story as more information becomes available.


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