Mar 19, 2008 5:54 pm US/Central
12 Hurt When SUV Slams Into Auto Auction
Auction In Progress At Tri-State Auto Auction Crestwood Auto Mall
CRESTWOOD, Ill. (CBS) ―
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A dozen people were reported injured when a car slammed into the Tri-State Auto Auction in Crestwood.
CBS
Twelve people were injured Wednesday when an SUV slammed into an auto auction facility in south suburban Crestwood.
As Kris Habermehl reports from Chopper 2, a Range Rover slammed through the wall of the Tri-State Auto Auction of Chicago, at 14001 S. Karlov Ave. in Crestwood, when an auction was going on.
The vehicle was inside the building when it suddenly sped up, struck a group of people and hit a minivan. It then drove out through a doorway and plowed into another cluster of people, a witness told the Chicago Tribune.
Twelve people who were at the auction as either customers or staff were taken to area hospitals, Crestwood fire officials said. Two firefighters sustained minor injuries while helping the victims.
Of those taken to hospitals, three were reported in serious condition, six in fair condition, and three more in good condition.
The SUV was being brought into the building for the auction and it went out of control, officials said.
The victims were taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn and other area hospitals.
CBS 2's Pamela Jones reports one of three people brought to Advocate Christ Medical Center is Jurry Valentine, a car dealer in his 60s. He is reportedly in stable condition.
"He said that the car actually did roll over him and then he just lost consciousness and woke up here at the hospital," said his daughter, Sonja Abrams.
The Crestwood Fire Department called an Emergency Medical Services box alarm for the crash, and crews from Hometown, Midlothian and Posen also responded.
"It was chaos," said Crestwood Fire Department Captain Kevin McAuliffe. "There was a lot of people because it is an auction day. It was hard for us to get our emergency vehicles in and out because there were so many people and cars."
Witnesses say a driver who helps present the cars on the auction block was behind the wheel of the SUV.
"Evidently a gas pedal stuck or something on a Range Rover, and I looked over and this thing was just careened over another vehicle and smashed into the crowd and he couldn't stop," car dealer Richard Combs said.
A group of men said they were standing just a few feet away when one of the cars pinned a friend against a wall.
"The car just came in, started swinging left and right," said car dealer Amad Shehab. "Hit the other vehicle in front of it, which was a van. And the guy started swinging, pushing and shoving the other people. All what we seen is just people and bodies laying down."
"I think the driver, he lost control," said car dealer Tariq Abdul. "He can't even hold the brakes or anything like that. The gas pedal got stuck on him and he was going at least 40 miles an hour, easy."
While police work out the official details of how the crash happened, the victims' families wait for word on their recovery.
Two firefighters had minor injuries during the rescue. One was treated for a back injury he suffered while helping a patient.
A lot of questions remain, including what happened to the driver and what caused him to lose control.
Police are still investigating.
CBS 2's Pamela Jones and Kris Habermehl, and the STNG Wire contributed to this report.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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