Among those hospitalized were a store employee with a crushed leg, a woman who suffered a serious head injury while protecting her baby and another child, and Savannah Koehler, a shopper who says the car pinned her against a register.
Koehler was shopping for snacks when the vehicle barreled through the building.
“The car came through, clipped me and pushed me up against the other register, pinned me, and then kept driving, and they released me, and I fell down to the ground,” Koehler said.
Koehler said the impact turned the store into a chaotic scene.
“The whole front windows shattered, all the registers, both were totally pushed back,” Koehler said. “The car was all the way to the aisles, pretty much. Everything was disheveled, and everybody was screaming, and there were the kids, and it was so terrifying.”
Emergency responders transported multiple shoppers to the hospital following the crash. Police confirmed that one store employee suffered a crushed leg, and another woman sustained a serious head injury.
Koehler’s injuries were concentrated on the right side of her body. She reported that the recovery process could take as long as seven months.
“Immediately, my lower back and my right hip were hurting really bad,” Koehler said. “And my arm…it was like this big cause it got pinned. I hurt bad.”
The long recovery timeline means Koehler is currently unable to return to work. She also noted that the physical limitations have affected her ability to walk.
“I can’t have my kids touch me or hug me, my 4-year-old is very attached to me,” Koehler said. “I told him, ‘Don’t touch me at all because it hurts, like everything hurts.’”
You can help Savannah Koehler during her recovery at this link.
The Kitsap County Prosecutor’s Office stated the 44-year-old driver will be released from jail late Thursday.
Her next court appearance is scheduled for March 23.
The store remained closed for the majority of the day on Thursday.
