Van smashes through Dollar Discount
FAIRCHANCE – The Dollar Discount store at 83 West Church St. was temporarily turned into a drive-thru Saturday afternoon after an elderly Lake Lynn woman drove her van into the side of the building. Owner Jeff Eicher said he was at home when he heard the fire whistle and turned on the scanner long enough to heard the address before he headed to the store.
“I got here real quick,” he said. The accident was reported to the Fayette County 911 Center at 1:27 p.m.
Eicher said neither driver Mae Cobb nor her son was injured. “Neither had a scratch,” he said. Both were wearing their seatbelts and the airbags deployed upon impact, Eicher said. There were no injuries.
Although there were customers in the store at the time of the accident, none were near the site where the Ford van crashed through the brick wall. Eicher said Cobb attributed the accident to her accelerator sticking. He said the vehicle pulled out of the nearby pharmacy, came through the lot, went over a curb and ended up in the store. He pointed out that the curb is about 11 inches high and Cobb said she couldn’t get the van stopped.
After the accident, Eicher closed for the day, although he said he was turning away people hours later. Amid the pounding nails, Eicher said he was hoping to have the store open today, but only if he believes it is safe. He said whatever anyone needs to buy, it is not important enough to risk someone getting hurt.
Eicher said if the accident would have been a week later, it could have been much worse, as the first weekend of the month is generally the busiest. Police and fire department crews responded to the scene.