Driver crashes into gym at Palmetto Village Shopping Center

An unidentified driver crashed through the wall of an Anytime Fitness at Palmetto Village Shopping Center on 10th Street East in Palmetto on Tuesday night.

The driver was removed from the vehicle and did not appear to have any serious injuries, and nobody inside the gym was injured either, according to bystanders at the scene. There has been no official release on the man’s condition.

Fernid Carlos was working out at the gym moments before the crash happened.

“I came out for a few seconds right before it happened,” Carlos said. “I went out to get a water bottle. Then I heard a loud bang. The mirror collapsed. Everybody started to gather. There was a lot of smoke rising.”

Carlos said that people who were in the gym at the time of the crash and employees who ran over from the Aldi next door wanted to help the man but could not get to him.

Paramedics arrived and were able to pull him from the vehicle.

“He looked fine, he was sitting up and conscious,” Carlos said.

A large chunk of wall was missing.

At around 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday night, the parking lot at Palmetto Village Shopping Center was full of emergency response vehicles, and firefighters worked to clean up the scene of the crash.

This story will be updated when further information becomes available.

This story was originally published October 30, 2018 at 9:13 PM.