EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. — A police officer in southern Illinois was hospitalized with minor injuries on Tuesday when a woman crashed her vehicle into a police squad car and then into a building that is the home of a Honey Baked Ham seasonal store, authorities said.
According to the Edwardsville Police Department, the motorist hit the building shortly before 10 a.m. CT, The Edwardsville Intelligencer reported.
An Edwardsville Police Department squad car was also struck during the incident. The police officer was transported to an area hospital with minor injuries, according to the newspaper.
The Honey Baked Ham store is a seasonal location and will not reopen until the Thanksgiving holiday season, KMOV reported.
Edwardsville Flea Market is located next to the Honey Baked Ham store. Flea market co-owner Dan Vetter said he witnessed the crash.
“She was coming straight at our building, and then she hit that little island out there (in the parking lot) and made her swerve that way and that’s when she went into the Honey Baked Ham,” Vetter told the Intelligencer.
Vetter said that his initial reaction when he saw the SUV headed toward his store was to grab his dog from the lobby of his business and run to the back, the newspaper reported.
The driver of the van was cited for failure to yield while exiting a private drive, according to Illinois State Police.
It was unclear how much it will cost to repair the damage of the building.