CHESAPEAKE, Va. — A woman is in the hospital after she was hit by a car that crashed into a Chesapeake community center.
According to the Chesapeake Fire Department, a senior adult crashed into the Indian River Community Center on Old Greenbrier Road just before 4 p.m.
Witnesses said the driver was stalling in the parking lot, then accelerated through the front entrance and came to a stop about 22 feet inside the building after breaking through the cinder block gymnasium wall.
The car hit one woman, an employee of the community center, who was inside the front entrance at the time.
Medics took her to the emergency room in "serious but stable condition."
The fire department said Chesapeake police investigating the crash determined it was accidental. The driver wasn't hurt.
The Indian River Community Center will be closed for the foreseeable future as repairs are made.
Some community members discovered the closure when they tried to use the facility on Friday.
"I think it is crazy that a car just goes into the front," said Tom Bryant. "I am going to go to the Cuffee Community Center and go there and get my workout in."
This is now the second time a driver crashed into a Chesapeake city building this year. Just down the road from the community center, someone drove into the side of the Indian River Library on February 24.
The incident happened after a truck and SUV collided on the road. It sent the SUV right into the library. Two people in the SUV had minor injuries.
Having another car versus building crash on Old Greenbrier Road is alarming to some people in the community.
“My kids and my grandkids went to that center. They played games and different activities in that center," said Iris Williams. "It just shows you these things can happen anywhere.”
A city spokeswoman said the city's number one concern is for the employee who was injured on Thursday, and they hope for a full recovery.
She said Parks, Recreation and Tourism is working to move programs and services provided at Indian River Community Center to other locations. Once that information is available it will be posted on the City’s website, and on the Parks, Recreation and Tourism Facebook page.
