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Vehicle crashes all the way inside store in downtown Nanaimo

Driver taken to hospital but no one inside store injured in incident Thursday at Man Lee market

An SUV went off the road, crashed through a wall and window and ended up entirely inside a store in downtown Nanaimo.

No one who was inside the store was reported injured in the incident, which happened at Man Lee Oriental Market on Terminal Avenue at about 3:30 p.m. Thursday.

Emergency personnel said it appeared the vehicle had been travelling northbound on Terminal when it veered off the road for unknown reasons.

People who were working in the store told the News Bulletin they were in other parts of the store when the crash happened.

“Otherwise I would be there,” said Enid Wong. “We were all not in that area. We were so lucky.”

Victoria Ursulak said she heard a loud noise but didn’t expect that it could have come from a vehicle inside the store.

“It’s terrifying but it’s hilarious at the same time. It’s a giant 4x4 vehicle … that’s why it got through the concrete,” she said.

The woman driving the vehicle was taken to hospital with injuries that didn’t appear to be serious, said crews.

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editor@nanaimobulletin.com

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Emergency crews on scene outside Man Lee Oriental Market, where a vehicle crashed through a wall and window and all the way inside the store. (Chris Bush/News Bulletin)
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A Nanaimo firefighter surveys the damage as crews prepare to pull a full-size SUV from inside the Man Lee Oriental Market after it crashed through a concrete wall and window and came to rest on top of the cash counter. (Chris Bush/News Bulletin)