Police are investigating a crash into a Laurel convenience store Thursday night that left one 17-year-old seriously injured.
The Laurel Police Department says they were dispatched to the First Stop Gas Station on West Street on reports of a vehicle colliding with a building. There, police say they found an SUV had driven over the concrete parking barricades in the parking lot and into the convenience store. A 17-year-old pedestrian who had been leaning against the wall at the time was also struck.
An investigation reportedly revealed the 78-year-old driver of the SUV pulled into a parking spot outside the convenience store then exited the vehicle without placing it in park, according to police. As the SUV began rolling forward, the driver attempted to jump back into the vehicle and press the brake. Instead of the brake, however, police say the driver pressed down on the accelerator, driving the SUV onto the sidewalk.
The 17-year-old pedestrian, from Laurel, was taken to a local hospital for serious injuries.
The driver of the SUV was given two citations for Inattentive Driving and Failure to Have Insurance Identification in Possession.