DELMAR, NY - A new business was heavily damaged after a vehicle drove into the building at the Four Corners intersection in Delmar on Wednesday, November 10th.

Bethlehem Police received a 911 call for a car into a building at 395 Kenwood Ave. at the Four Corners in Delmar at 5:42 P.M.

“Upon arrival we had a midsize pickup that was backwards into a building,” said Assistant Chief Dan Ryan of the Delmar Fire Department.

A 2019 gray Chevrolet Colorado, operated by an elderly male from Prattsville, NY, was observed to be crashed inside a business, according to a report from Bethlehem Police. The store, named The 5th Corner, had just opened up a couple of weeks ago, according to Chief Ryan.

Almost one year ago from the date of the crash, a similar incident occurred where a vehicle went off the roadway and struck the same stretch of storefront on November 7th of 2020, causing damage to the stores and barriers.

This latest incident caused significant structural damage to the store, which was turned over to the building department.

While operating on the scene, crews began smelling a gas odor so the chief ordered an evacuation of the entire building, including the apartments on the second floor of the structure. Fire crews determined the smell to be coming from a vent on the gas meter that was letting off the odor. National Grid was on the scene to mitigate any issues.

Bethlehem Police stated that the driver was heading south on Kenwood Avenue and was attempting to turn right onto Delaware Avenue.

“He was concerned that he would not be able to complete the turn and strike construction barricades that were placed in the roadway,” police said. The driver then placed the vehicle into reverse when his foot slipped from the brake to the gas pedal, leading to an acceleration in reverse across the lane of travel and into the building backwards, police added.

Slingerlands Fire was requested to the scene with air bags in the event that the vehicle needed to be adjusted during the removal process to prevent further structural damage to the building. Recovery efforts went smooth and Roberts Towing was able to remove the vehicle from the structure without causing anymore damage.

There were people inside the store at the time, but no one was injured. Two elderly occupants in the vehicle that were evaluated and released at the scene by EMS.

On the scene was Bethlehem Police, Delmar-Bethlehem EMS, Albany County Paramedics, Delmar Fire and Slingerlands Fire. Kenwood Avenue was closed at the Four Corners intersection and Delaware Avenue traffic was restricted to give enough space for crews on the scene.

The driver of the vehicle was issued traffic summons related to the crash, police said.