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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Driver loses control of SUV, runs into building

A man checks out the scene where the driver of an SUV lost control of the vehicle Thursday and crashed into Stahl Optical at Fifth Avenue and Chandler Street in Spokane. (Tyler Tjomsland)

An SUV crashed through the wall of a building in central Spokane on Thursday afternoon.

“It was horribly loud, and I was pretty sure somebody hit the building,” said Missy Dunn, a billing specialist at Stahl Optical, which shares the building with Prosser Dentistry. “It was a lot of sounds all together.”

The SUV hit the southeast corner of the building, at 251 E. Fifth Avenue, driving into Stahl’s lab. A machine that edges lenses fell on a lab worker, trapping him until workers were able to assist him, Dunn said.

Spokane Police Officer Brad Moon said the lab worker was transported to a local hospital as a precaution, but he did not appear to have significant injuries.

The crash occurred about 3:30 p.m. The driver of a Nissan Xterra westbound on Fifth Avenue told police he hit the building when he swerved to avoid a westbound car ahead of him that had stopped to turn south on Chandler Street. Moon said the driver reported that he could not stop because of ice, but Moon said police found no ice at the intersection.

The driver, who was in his 50s or 60s, was uninjured and crawled out the back of the SUV, Moon said.

Moon said Spokane Fire Department officials were on scene to make sure the building, which is only 2 years old, was stable. Initial examinations indicated it was structurally sound despite the impact.

Dunn said the intersection of Fifth and Chandler is dangerous.

“We are hearing honks all day long,” she said.