Car drives into Boardman dry cleaners

BOARDMAN

Staff report

BOARDMAN

A seamstress at Dutchess Cleaners is used to customers approaching the counter, but they usually are not in their cars.

Adriana D’Amore was at the counter Tuesday afternoon when a woman drove her BMW into the front window of the Boardman-Canfield Road business.

“[The car] was not stopping,” she said.

Police believe the woman mistook the accelerator for the brake as she pulled into a parking spot.

A customer at the counter was trapped between the car, counter and wall, but D’Amore said he was not injured.

When she heard the glass storefront shatter, she backed away, worried the car might push the counter into her.

A tow-truck operator drove the car out of the building once it was removed from the store, but much of the storefront was destroyed.

The store remained open Tuesday as customers continued to pick up their dry cleaning.

Police said there was no indication the driver was under the influence or texting while driving.