Security cameras were rolling as a minivan crashed through a jewelry store in Athens. The incident occurred last Thursday at Chandlee Jewels on Epps Bridge Parkway.
Bryan Chandlee-Exum said that she was behind the counter working on a piece of jewelry when she looked up and saw the vehicle smash into the store.
"I look up and there's a white hood coming through the glass. And I thought, 'What the hell?' And I kept screaming, ‘Oh my God, stop, stop,'" said Chandlee-Exum. "She just kept coming and coming and coming and I thought, ‘Dear God, when is she going to stop?"
The 63-year old driver reportedly told authorities that something rolled underneath her brake pedal keeping her from pushing it down.
A customer inside the store was hurt when the van threw her from the chair she was sitting in. That customer needed a dozen staples to close a cut on her head, but she is expected to be OK.
The store owner can't believe that the injuries weren't any worse.
"Three minutes before, three minutes after, anywhere from two to 12 people could have been hurt. We could be attending funerals," said Chandlee-Exum. "As corny, in a way, as it sounds, it truly was a Christmas miracle."
The driver was mortified, apologetic and angry at herself for driving in to the store, the owner said.
Sunday, May 19 2013 7:39 AM EDT2013-05-19 11:39:58 GMT
Security will be tight and traffic will be messy around the Morehouse College campus today. President Barack Obama will address graduates at the college's commencement ceremony.
Security will be tight and traffic will be messy around the Morehouse College campus today. President Barack Obama will address graduates at the college's commencement ceremony, and he'll also attend a Democratic Party fundraiser while he's in Atlanta.
Saturday, May 18 2013 10:09 PM EDT2013-05-19 02:09:05 GMT
They say you can't win if you don't play, and thousands of people are. The jackpot for Saturday night's Powerball drawing is an estimated $600 million, giving many a bad case of lottery fever.
They say you can't win if you don't play, and thousands of people are. The jackpot for Saturday night's Powerball drawing is an estimated $600 million, giving many a bad case of lottery fever.
State officials are reminding drivers the national "Click It or Ticket" campaign is set to begin and could translate to fines for drivers and passengers who aren't wearing seatbelts.
State officials are reminding drivers the national "Click It or Ticket" campaign is set to begin and could translate to fines for drivers and passengers who aren't wearing seatbelts.
