A driver crashed through the lobby of a Bangor dentist office on Wednesday after mixing up the gas and brake pedals.
The senior woman drove into the lobby of Creative Dental Solutions, 1407 Broadway, around 1:45 p.m. Tuesday, Assistant Bangor Fire Chief Greg Hodge said. No one was in the lobby because the office was closed for lunch.
Chairs in the lobby waiting area were completely destroyed, Hodge said.
“Timing is everything on this one,” he said.
The driver went through the front entrance and partially took out another wall along the side of the building, Hodge said.
The driver was not injured and dental staff were also not injured. A lot of staff were not in the office at the time.
“Lucky is the word of the day,” Hodge said. “This definitely could have been a significant tragedy but it worked out for the best.”
The office hopes to be open tomorrow, he added. Patients would use a different entrance, but no exam rooms or records were damaged.
Code enforcement and engineering evaluated the building to make sure there were no hazards, Hodge said. An electrician will need to evaluate the damage before electricity is restored.
Firefighters shored up the damaged half of the building to prevent a secondary collapse. Wooden posts were seen supporting part of the building Tuesday afternoon. Part of the wall directly to the left of the entrance bowed out of the building, with the window shattered.
