An 81-year-old driver accidentally hit the gas pedal while parking their SUV, causing them to crash into the front of a hair salon at a Gurnee strip mall and injure a person inside Tuesday morning.
The Gurnee Police Department and Gurnee Fire Department responded around 10:40 a.m. Tuesday to Teri’s Hair Designers, 974 Route 21 in Gurnee, for a report of a car that struck the building.
Police officers and firefighter/paramedics arrived to find a 2017 Honda HR-V compact SUV that had crashed into the front of the hair salon, which is located in the Gurnee Plaza strip mall at the northwest corner of Grand Avenue and Route 21.
Gurnee Police Department Public Information Officer said that the driver, who is 81 years old and from Gurnee, mistakenly hit the gas pedal instead of the brake pedal while parking.
The hair salon sustained damage to its brick facade and window area.
The driver of the Honda was evaluated by paramedics but was not injured and refused transport to the hospital.
A person who was inside the hair salon sustained minor injuries and was also evaluated and treated by paramedics, but they also refused to be transported to the hospital.
It is unclear where exactly the person was standing inside the hair salon when the Honda crashed into it.
No other injuries were reported and none of the other units were damaged.
Firefighters requested that the Gurnee Building Department come out and inspect the structure for any hazards, Gurnee Battalion Fire Chief Nick Perry said.
They determined the building was structurally safe and there was no risk of collapse.
Firefighters taped off the area and the business is working on tending to the damage.