OAKHURST — A Coarsegold resident is recovering from what CHP says are minor injuries today after the vehicle she was driving crashed into a local insurance office.
Just before 11 a.m., Melva Scuderi, 89, was in the process of parking in the handicapped spot in front of Macaulay Associates Insurance, located in the Junction Plaza shopping center just off Highway 41, which also houses DiCicco’s.
As Scuderi attempted to apply the brakes in her 2000 Toyota Siena, she inadvertently applied the accelerator instead, according to the CHP. Her vehicle hit the handicapped sign, and then crashed into the building.
“She knocked down the pillar that was holding up the front of the building,” says Susan Macaulay, who was working in the back of her offices when the accident occurred, shattering windows and shaking the building with the force of the collision. Macaulay’s employee Maria was sitting in the front part of the office when Scuderi’s vehicle came hurtling through the windowed wall.
“She came right through the window and when she stopped, she was about a foot away from the wall — she must have bounced back.”
Along with CHP, Cal Fire and deputies from Madera County Sheriff, Sierra Ambulance responded to the scene. After examining the patient, it was determined she would not be transported to the hospital. While CHP says that Scuderi’s injuries were comparatively minor, the damage to the building may be substantial. Fortunately, no one else was injured.
The accident is under investigation.
Photos courtesy of Susan Macaulay.
Photos courtesy of Susan Macaulay.
