Crash in Lannesdorf 82-year-old motorist drives through glass front into supermarket
Lannesdorf · Miraculously, no one was injured in a serious accident in Lannesdorf on Monday. An 82-year-old woman had mistaken the accelerator for the brake pedal and driven into an Aldi store.
It was an unusual sight, even for the emergency services, at around 11.45 a.m. on Monday at the Aldi supermarket on Drachenburgstraße in Lannesdorf. A VW had broken through a glass pane moments ago and come to a standstill at two bottle refund machines (Pfandautomaten).
The destruction is extensive, the large glass front of the market is shattered, but because it is apparently safety glass, it did not shatter into thousands of pieces. The two refund machines were completely smashed in. Miraculously, no one was injured in the accident.
Police estimate damage at 50,000 euros
An 82-year-old woman was at the wheel of the car. According to the police, she had mistaken the accelerator for the brake pedal, and drove into the supermarket without braking. According to Bonn police spokesperson Simon Rott, the woman was able to get out of the car by herself and was apparently uninjured. Nevertheless, an ambulance was called to the scene of the accident so that the crew could take care of the woman. Police estimate the damage at around 50,000 euros.
"We were lucky this time. There was no one at the refund machine - if someone had been standing there, they would have been seriously injured," said Frank Frenser, spokesperson for Bonn's fire brigade, who was officer-in-charge at the scene. The same applies to the area in front of the market - no one was standing in the path of the VW.
The fire brigade deployed 40 firefighters from fire stations 1 and 3 as well as from the Lannesdorf volunteer fire brigade. The firefighters carefully pulled the vehicle out of the sales area and parked it safely so that it could be picked up by a towing company. In addition, the rescue workers secured loose parts of the building.
Aldi branch remains closed for the time being
According to Simon Rott, the woman who caused the accident was later taken home by taxi. As is usual in such cases, the police will inform the road traffic authorities about the incident.
The Aldi shop will remain closed for the time being, a spokesperson told the GA. She said the company was very upset by the accident. "The safety of customers and employees is Aldi Süd's top priority. Our thoughts are with the driver of the car," the spokeswoman said. They are now working at full speed to ensure that the shop can reopen. The staff are all doing well, she added. "We are in close contact with them, and they are being taken care of," the spokesperson said.
Just one month ago, there was a spectacular accident involving an 84-year-old Mercedes driver, also in Bad Godesberg. She was driving on Marienforster Straße coming from Wachtberg towards Bad Godesberg. For unknown reasons, she collided with a parked trailer and a car on a straight stretch of road and then slid down an embankment. Only a mighty tree saved the car from falling into the cold Bad Godesberg stream.
(Original text: Maximilian Mühlens; Translation: Jean Lennox)
