Car plows into Bortolami’s Pizzeria in Hazel Dell

Two customers were injured in the crash that happened Tuesday afternoon

HAZEL DELL — Two customers were hurt Tuesday afternoon when a driver mistook the gas pedal for the brake and slammed into Bortolami’s Pizzeria restaurant at 9901 NE 7th Avenue in Hazel Dell.

First responders with Clark County Fire District 6 and the Clark County Sheriff’s office found a Toyota Camry fully inside the restaurant. The collision shoved tables and dividers towards the back of the restaurant, pinning a woman who was having dinner with her wife.

The vehicle was still running and in gear when responders arrived around 2:40 p.m. They were able to put the vehicle in neutral, rolling it backward and freeing the woman who was pinned. Due to the nature of the collision, she was treated as a trauma patient but a release from the Sheriff’s office says she was conscious and talking with paramedics before being transported to Legacy Salmon Creek. One other customer suffered minor injuries in the crash but was not taken to the hospital.

The driver, a 79-year-old woman identified as the owner of the building, told deputies her foot slipped off the brake pedal, hitting the gas and accelerating into the building. She was shaken up, but otherwise uninjured in the crash. The Sheriff’s office release says there are no plans to issue any citations or charges in the case.