A minivan crashed into B and K Upholstery in Campbell River on the afternoon of June 17, narrowly missing the owner of the store.
"I witnessed the van stop right there (after the crosswalk at 11th Ave and Dogwood)," Thanh Ngo, the owner, says. "Then I see these two guys exit the vehicle, both wearing black [and] one wearing a grey hat, which was the driver. They were yelling and screaming at each other, 'What are we going to do? What's wrong with the car?'"
Ngo, at the door, turned around to get his father's attention. When he turned around to get another look at the scene unfolding at the crosswalk, he saw the minivan accelerate directly toward him. He says if he didn't get out of the way in time, he would have been crushed. He did have an injury to his hand.
"The driver, when he crashed into the building, wasn't in the building but was hanging from the back part of it. He was thrown right to the sidewalk against the building. He was already outside of the vehicle. There was no one in the vehicle."
The store can still work, albeit in another building, but Ngo estimated the storefront will be closed for about a month. Some of the projects the store was working on have been gutted. Ngo says it won't affect the business too much.
The front window, door and the beam that holds up a corner are damaged.
Black Press has reached out to the Campbell River RCMP but has not heard back as of yet.