Car ploughs through IGA | Fraser Coast News | Local News in Fraser Coast

Shopping at Fraser Shores IGA was a harrowing experience for customers when an out of control car slammed through the front doors yesterday.

VALERIE HORTON

AN 85-YEAR-OLD pensioner must have thought his luck was in when he spied a vacant car park directly in front of the IGA Supermarket at Fraser Shores yesterday morning.

Moments later he was in a state of disbelief after his car had shot through the car space, coming to a halt six metres inside the Hervey Bay store.

Miraculously the 10 or so customers and staff in the store escaped serious injury in an incident which could well have proved a disaster.

Dianne Byriel was holding her three-year-old daughter, Kyisha, in her arms as she walked from the store just seconds before the crash.

“I was involved in a serious car accident when I was 18 and it all came flooding back to me as the car rushed past us smashing through the shop,” Dianne said.

“I’d left my husband at the counter at IGA to get served and I am thanking God I did, because my daughter and I mightn’t be here now if I didn’t,” she said.

“We were seconds from death and I am still shaking.”

Her husband Jacko was still consoling his wife and daughter more than 30 minutes after the accident.

“Mate, the car came through the front door at more than 40kmh and pushed everything out of its way before coming to a stop,” he said.

“The poor young checkout operator, Sharnie, was pinned behind the counter and we couldn’t move her.”

Also in the checkout queue at the time was six-months-pregnant Peta Plimmer.

“I’d just come to the supermarket to buy a bottle of Maggi sweet chilli sauce because I love it and this is the only supermarket I know that stocks it,” Peta said.

“I can’t believe that my craving could have got me killed.

“There was this almighty crash and then this piercing scream, a scream of sheer terror, coming from the young checkout operator.

“I bent over to help her and brushed her hair back from her eyes; she was terrified and I asked her what I could do.

“She just asked me to ring her mum and gave me her mobile number.”

Emma Lea, who works next door to the IGA supermarket, at Fraser Shores Seafood, had walked into the shop minutes before to buy a fresh lettuce.

“I was standing in the checkout queue when I heard the car charging through the front doors. I just ran down the shop as everything behind me was tumbling over.

“When the car had stopped I started walking back through the mess and found an old woman surrounded by produce. I asked if she was alright and she said ‘I’m fine, but I still had to do some more shopping’.

“I just told her it was best to leave the groceries and come outside. I think she may have been in shock.”

It took emergency service crews more than three hours to retrieve the car from the shop.

While three people were taken to Hervey Bay Hospital with injuries emergency workers at the scene were amazed that there hadn’t been more people seriously injured.