HOUSTON – A vehicle drove off a parking garage and landed in a building below Sunday afternoon.
The Houston Fire Department responded to reports of a motor vehicle accident around 12 p.m.
Police said a man accidentally drove his black 2013 Toyota Camry through the wall of a parking garage seven stories up and then plunged four stories straight down.
When firefighters arrived, they found the car upside-down going through the top of a hardware store at 3600 Kirby Drive and Norfolk Street.
“My initial reaction was shock. When you hear someone has driven into your building you expect it to have driven through the front of the building not having come through the roof,” said Doug Hermence, owner of Westheimer Plumbing and Hardware.
When Houston firefighters first approached the store they say they realized the driver of the car had somehow managed to free himself from his mangled vehicle, climb down from the attic of the building through mounds of debris, and was waiting in the showroom of the hardware.
Firefighters said the man was bleeding and covered in dust and debris.
“Oh yeah, he was covered in debris but was able to walk and seemed like he was in shock, so he didn’t say much of anything,” said Capt. Al Castillo with the Houston Fire Department.
Officials said the driver was take to Memorial Hermann Hospital for treatment.
No other injuries were reported.
Crews were able to remove the Camry from the top of the shopping center by using a crane. Once on the ground, the car appeared to be mangled with shattered windows, crumpled metal and concrete chunks strewn inside of the car.
"Looking at that mess, it's a miracle the driver was able to walk away at all. A miracle," said a tow truck driver who was towing the wrecked vehicle.
