On Thursday afternoon, a preschool in Anderson, California, experienced a traumatic event when a car came crashing through the walls and i...
On Thursday afternoon, a preschool in Anderson, California, experienced a traumatic event when a car came crashing through the walls and into the room where all the children and staff were gathered.
Around 2:30 p.m., a Suzuki SUV tore through the wall of Great Adventures Christian Preschool in Anderson, just south of Redding in northern California.
Anderson police said two of the children were pinned beneath the car, according to The Associated Press.
First responders were on the scene within two minutes, and they immediately began assessing the situation.
“A Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) was declared due to the potential number of injured parties,” the Anderson Police Department posted on Facebook.
“Additional law enforcement, fire, and medical resources responded to the scene to assist. These additional resources responded from the California Highway Patrol, the Redding Police Department, the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office, the Shasta County District Attorney’s Office, Mercy Medical Center, Shasta Regional Medical Center, AMR, and additional agencies.”
While the AP and other outlets reported that all 19 children and a staff member eventually had been taken to the hospital, the Anderson police post said 14 of the children were transported to the hospital, though for most it was a precautionary measure.
According to USA Today, at least two of the children were taken to the pediatric intensive care unit at the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento.
Despite the state of the building and the terrifying scene, no one was killed and all are expected to recover.
An investigation into the cause of the crash is being carried out, though police said the driver was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
She was described as cooperative and was released after she gave the police a statement.
“The driver of the vehicle was located at the scene and was identified as a female Anderson resident,” the post states. “The driver was assessed by an Anderson Police Department Drug Recognition Expert and determined to not be impaired at the time of the evaluation.”
According to KOVR-TV, the driver was a young woman and her mother was in the passenger’s seat at the time of the crash. The woman’s father said both of them were shaken up after the accident.
Myers Koffa, the father of one of the children at Great Adventures, works across the street from the preschool and saw what happened.
“My son goes to the preschool over here,” Koffa told KOVR. “I didn’t think at all. I just ran. I’m thankful and I’m grateful that he’s OK.”
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