Trader Joe narrowly avoids disaster

Around 3:00 p.m. on January 26, a woman in her late 80s backed into the Trader Joe’s in Encinitas, injuring four people.

Two victims were transported to Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, one to Scripps Encinitas. One waived medical transport after being seen by arriving paramedics. None appeared to have life-threatening injuries. The four were walking out of the store at the time. Several other customers barely missed being hit.

The woman was reportedly parked in the store’s parking lot and accelerated in reverse for about 100 feet, going over the curb, knocking over one of the customer’s shopping carts, and smashing through a large flower pot. The car stopped after knocking over a flower stand. The car came within inches of a large glass window.

“I was at check stand number 12, and I saw her coming towards us,” said a Trader Joe’s employee. The cashier said he immediately ran toward the car after it crashed. He shut off the engine and grabbed the lady’s keys. “She feels really bad and was crying. I got her to calm down,” he said.

As the three paramedic units rolled away, Sheriff's deputy Alan Griffith said the lady was cited for not having a valid California license. “We’re unable right now to determine if her New York license is valid," he said, indicating that evidence so far shows she lives locally. He said more charges will probably be filed.