Car goes through building, lands in pool in Montgomery County
Car crashes into pool at Montgomery Co. dog center
A car drove into a dog aquatic center in Montgomery County and right into the pool.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. - An aquatic rehabilitation center for dogs will be shut down for some time after a car crashed into the building and one of its pools.
The incident happened just after 4 p.m. on Thursday.
What we know:
The owner of the K9 aquatics center located in the 12900 block of Travilah Road had just locked up and headed home after closing early when she got the call that a car had crashed into her business, which she had just purchased on Jan. 1.
While she did not want to talk on camera, the woman who started the business in 2015 did.
"It’s sad," former owner Dominiq Darcis said. "This is my baby – for 11 years – and it is so much damage."
The details:
It happened just after 4 p.m. when the driver of a grey Infiniti was trying to leave the parking lot with her dog in the back seat, but instead of putting the car in reverse, it was in drive.
When she pressed the gas, the vehicle slammed into the storefront, going through the building and ultimately crashed into one of the facility’s pools.
The driver was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
No one else was hurt, and fortunately, no dogs were on the property at the time.
"Sometimes it’s just a mistake," said Pete Pirringer, a spokesperson for Montgomery County Fire and Rescue. "The car was parked in front – directly – in front of the structure…just across a small sidewalk, and for whatever reason, he crashed through the building.
What they're saying:
The facility serves about 140 dogs a week, providing rehabilitation after surgery, helping senior dogs stay mobile, and giving others a chance to burn off energy.
For those who heard the crash, they couldn’t believe what had happened.
Despina Manos says she was "absolutely shocked" following the incident.
"I did not know what had happened," Manos said. "It was actually quite scary. I said my heart sort of stopped for about a moment because we just didn’t know. We didn’t know if there was some sort of explosion or a roof had caved in next door."
The current owner was out here for quite some time, taking in the damage and at a loss for what comes next. She described it as a very bad day.