Bend man cited for careless driving after smashing SUV through front doors of printer repair shop

(Update: Adding video)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – An 85-year-old Bend man was cited for careless driving Wednesday morning after he hit the gas instead of the brake and slammed his SUV through the glass front doors of a northeast Bend printer repair business, police said.

A woman working inside reported a minor knee injury after the 10:45 a.m. crash at Printer Resources & Recycling on NE Twin Knolls Drive, police Sgt. Cindy Ksenzulak said.

The driver of the Jeep Grand Cherokee mistakenly hit the gas instead of the brake when he was trying to park, she said, making it about 15-20 feet inside, then backing out again.

“He pretty much destroyed the glass doors in front of the repair shop,” but there was no apparent structural damage, Ksenzulak said. A female employee of the business reported pain to her knee after the collision, but was not transported, she added.

Deputy Fire Marshal Dan Derlacki said the crash into the doors appears to not have affected the structural stability of the building.

"The city Building Department will send an inspector out later today to confirm," he said. "They do that on any vehicle into a building, to ensure it’s still safe for occupancy."

Business owner Frank Patka said the man was a customer who had pulled up to the store to check with a tech about his printer. He said the worker who was injured is “doing okay.”

“It could have been worse, but for the grace of God,” said Patka, who has owned the business for over 20 years in this location and never had anything of the sort happen before.

“Now we're thinking about turning it into a drive-thru printer repair shop,” he joked.