Man drives truck into optical center
By John Joyce
Published in News on February 19, 2017 9:05 AM
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News-Argus/JOHN JOYCE
James Davis, 77, of Goldsboro, said his foot slipped off the brake and hit the gas Saturday morning as he parked his pickup in front of Eye 1 Optical at 1717 East Ash Street. No injuries were reported.
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James Davis, left, recounts to Assistant Goldsboro Fire Chief James Farfour how he accidentally drove his Chevy S-10 pickup through the storefront window of a local business Saturday.
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News-Argus/JOHN JOYCE
City inspectors will have to ensure the building is not unstable before Eye 1 Optical on East Ash Street in Goldsboro can reopen, Assistant Fire Chief James Farfour said. An older gentleman's foot slipped off the brake and hit the gas as he parked his truck in front of the business Saturday morning.
Most Sunday mornings, James Davis, 77, of Goldsboro has breakfast at Kathy's Kitchen, a local restaurant tucked inside a strip mall in a shopping center adjacent to the Food Lion on East Ash Street.
He normally parks in the center row of spaces in the shopping center, he said. But this morning, Davis decided to pull up to an open space and park in front of one the stores a few doors down from Kathy's.
Davis, wearing a medical boot on his foot after a recent procedure, told police his foot slipped off the brake and hit the gas, sending his Chevrolet S-10 pickup through the storefront of Eye 1 Optical.
"He was going to park, but his foot, he's got a medical boot on his foot and it slipped off the brake and hit the gas and he went into the building," Goldsboro police officer Matthew Habermas said.
Davis was not injured, but he has been cited for a safe movement violation, Habermas said.
Assistant Goldsboro Fire Chief James Farfour said there did not appear to be any damage to the structural integrity of the building, but the city inspector would be called in to make sure the building was stable.
"We've called the business owner and the building owner out to inspect the damage and see what they need to do," he said.
It will be up to the city inspector to say whether or not the building is safe to open back up for business, he added.
Davis, who insisted he was not hurt, said the accident won't stop him from returning to Kathy's Kitchen each Sunday morning for breakfast. He chuckled and shook his head as he wrenched open the passenger door to his Chevy, now coated with shattered glass from the store front windows.
"It's just one of those things, buddy," he said.