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Niagara Falls
Friday, March 29, 2024
Mercedes crashes through Avondale storefront

A car that drove through the front entrance of Niagara-on-the-Lake Avondale store on Mary Street caused about $30,000 in damage, police say.

No one was injured in the mishap, which occurred before 7 a.m. Sunday.

Photos taken from inside the Avondale show the 2013 silver Mercedes sustained serious damage to its front end.

A NOTL woman in her 60s was driving but because the incident happened on private property no charges will be laid, Niagara Regional Police Const. Phil Gavin said.

Police suspect the driver made an error that caused her to drive through the front wall of the convenience store, Gavin said.

Avondale employee Max Houseman wasn’t there to witness the early-morning incident but heard it described first-hand from an employee who did.

“The clerk who was working was actually in the back when it happened. She said it sounded like the store was falling in,” Houseman said.

He said the mess was cleaned up quickly and the store was open by noon. Sheets of plywood were used to shore up the store front.

There are protective bollards directly in front of the Avondale and the nearby Royal Bank of Canada branch to stop vehicles from ramming the structure.

But a small space between the two businesses is open. As luck would have it, that is exactly the spot the car went through.

“I can tell you they came at an angle,” Houseman said.

“I suspect that the plaza maybe will decide to add some more (bollards).”

It's not the first such incident in the plaza. Twice in the past few years vehicles have accidentally smashed through the front of the bank.

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