An elderly woman smashed her car into a Mineola photography studio on Sunday after hitting two cars, according to the Mineola Volunteer Ambulance Corps.
Gil Pizarro, the owner of Fade To Black Studio, was alone in the studio on Jericho Turnpike at the time of the 6:30 p.m. incident, which he said caused extensive damage.
“The whole front entrance is kind of gone,” Pizarro said. “When you first walk into the office there’s a closet, that’s destroyed, everything in there is destroyed.”
Nobody was critically injured, according to the ambulance corps.
The 96-year-old woman, whose identity was not disclosed, was taken to an area hospital in stable condition, the ambulance corps said.
(Photo courtesy of the Mineola Volunteer Ambulance Corps via Instagram)
Two others inside the vehicles the woman allegedly hit were treated and taken to NYU Winthrop University Hospital, Mineola Volunteer Ambulance Corps Chief Kevin Hartman said.
Another was treated at the scene, Hartman said.
The Mineola Fire Department also responded to the incident.
“It took firefighters 20 minutes to cut enough of the wall out so we could extricate her from her car,” Hartman said.
No ticket was issued, according to a Nassau County Police Department spokesman.
Pizarro said the woman was “very lucky,” having crashed straight through the entrance without hitting the cement, pole or truck outside the storefront.
“It’s the first time I’ve ever heard of a 96-year-old driving,” Pizarro said.
Hartman said he has encountered other situations where a car crashed into a storefront.
It has happened with both older and younger drivers, he said.
Pizarro, who was about seven or eight feet down the hall at the time, said he didn’t see the crash but heard it.
“When it happened it was really loud, as you can imagine,” Pizarro said.
Pizarro said he’s hoping to have the studio open on Wednesday, but as of Tuesday morning there was still no electricity due to exposed wires.
Pizarro said he hasn’t pursued any legal action yet and is letting the “dust settle,” adding that he hasn’t been able to fully assess the damage.
“I can’t even see anything, but it’s extensive,” Pizarro said. “She drove completely into the studio, no part of the car was sticking out. She was completely inside.”
