MURRYSVILLE, Pa.,None — Several people were hit by flying glass when police said a 76-year-old driver crashed her car into the front of a Murrysville church on Sunday.
Police said the motorist lost control of the vehicle and smashed into the front of the First United Methodist Church on Old William-Penn Highway. The crash knocked a stone bench through a stained-glass window but no serious injuries were reported.
Investigators said the driver was not seriously hurt.
Church officials said the crash happened shortly after the start of services and congregants had already entered the building.
"We heard a large noise. It sounded like a truck with a trailer going over a bump. When we came out, we saw that the vehicle in front of the church had come out over the front porch, taking out one of the pillars," said church trustee Carrie Bortz.
Bortz said if the crash had happened 15 minutes earlier, when people were walking into church, it could've been a tragedy.
"I was in the back of the church and I heard this noise. Like I said, I thought it was a bomb," said Bill English. "One of the persons holding the door into the sanctuary was coming into the sanctuary and she came in and she had glass all over her."
The lead investigator of the case said he is still deciding on whether or not to file charges against the driver. Police said they're calling the case an accident, but have to consider the amount of damage done to the church and the potential danger to those inside.
"It could have been a lot worse to him or a lot worse ten minutes prior when the people were going into the church. So what could have been a bad incident, I think ended in the best way it probably could have," said Murrysville Police Chief Thomas Seefeld.
Police said the driver mistakenly hit the gas pedal instead of the brake. Investigators said the driver was not a member of the church.
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