A driver smashed her vehicle into the Salvation Army in Bradenton. The building won

An employee with the Salvation Army in downtown Bradenton suffered a mishap as she pulled into the parking lot Thursday morning.

For unknown reasons, the driver accelerated over the parking bumpers and crashed into the northeast section of the Salvation Army building, striking the main wall and just barely missing nearby windows.

The driver was being treated by EMS at the scene and the extent of her injuries are unknown. While the impact was forceful enough for the driver’s airbag to deploy, the damage to the vehicle was minimal and there was no apparent damage to the building.

Kelly French, Salvation Army communications director, arrived shortly after the accident.

“I was on my way to work this morning and I live about 5 minutes away,” French told the Bradenton Herald. “I heard the sirens as I was driving and saw the ambulance driving up 41 and said a little prayer that everything was going to be OK. I know at the corner here, 12th Avenue and 14th Street, I’ve seen a lot of accidents.”

French turned the corner and quickly realized the incident was on Salvation Army property.

“I came around the corner and saw it was something in the parking lot and my heart just kind of dropped,” she said. “We don’t have a lot of information right now, but I’m hoping the driver is going to be OK and is OK. Right now, I’m just concerned about this person and the family.”

Given that the driver was immediately transported and was being treated on the scene inside the Salvation Army, French said it appears that the driver’s injuries may not be serious.

A few homeless people were in the area at the time, but declined to speak, with only one saying he didn’t see what happened, “but I heard it.”

This story was originally published August 1, 2019 at 9:55 AM.