Police say a car that crashed into a fitness center in Libertyville, prompting a fire department structural collapse response, was caused by the driver mistaking the gas pedal for the brake.
The Libertyville Fire Department responded around 11:54 a.m. Saturday to CZ Fitness Lab, 410 Peterson Road, for a report of a vehicle crash.
Libertyville Deputy Fire Chief Steven Holtz said crews arrived to find a vehicle that had crashed into the building.
The vehicle struck the front wall of the fitness center, which is located in a strip mall, causing moderate damage to the vehicle and the building.
Holtz said no one was reported to be inside the business at the time that the crash occurred. The driver of the vehicle reported no injuries.
Fire crews evaluated the building and determined that a load-bearing wall needed to be stabilized to ensure structural support.
The Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) was activated to the box alarm level for additional assistance through a structural collapse response, Holtz said.
The activation brought over a dozen fire departments, MABAS Division 4 and 5 technicians and specialized equipment.
The Countryside, Lincolnshire, Mundelein, Zion, Lake Forest, Newport, Round Lake, Lake Villa, Lake Zurich, Long Grove, Gurnee, Lake Bluff, Grayslake, North Chicago and Buffalo Grove fire departments assisted during the incident.
Libertyville Police Department Sergeant Dusan Racic said Wednesday that officers learned the driver mistakenly pressed the accelerator instead of the brake while maneuvering the vehicle.
The crash occurred on private property and did not involve any criminal or reckless conduct so no citations were issued, Racic said.