A driver trying to park a rented BMW apparently hit the accelerator instead of the gas, smashed through a guardrail of a downtown parking garage, and landed on a Jaguar and Mercedes. (Credit: Chicago Fire Department)
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UPDATED 06/21/12 – 5:15 p.m.
CHICAGO (CBS) – A man returning a rented BMW at a downtown parking garage accidentally smashed through a guard rail and landed on top of two other luxury cars on Thursday.
The driver, who was returning a rented BMW sport utility vehicle, told CBS 2’s Roseanne Tellez it was a classic case of hitting the gas instead of the brake, and he hit it hard.
The SUV ended up crashing right through a cable barrier, and rolling on top of two other luxury cars – a Mercedes Benz and a Jaguar.
LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio’s Brandis Friedman reports
A CBS 2 news writer happened to be exiting the garage right when it happened.
“I’m driving through the parking garage, and all of a sudden, boom, this huge crash,” Vicky Baftiri said. “I was really afraid for my life, because a car nearly hit me.”
Luckily for her, the Jaguar appeared to take the brunt of the force from the crash.
“So the Jaguar and another expensive car were the victims of this crash,” she said.
The owner of the Jaguar, Sylvia Kappos, had been out shopping, and was none too pleased to see what happened when she got back to the garage.
Asked what she’d say to the driver responsible, she said, “I haven’t even seen the idiot.”
Kappos said she parked her car on the second level of the garage intentionally, because it was near the Enterprise rental car office.
“I said, okay, I’m going to come back, and everybody will be here. It’s safe to walk to my car,” she said. “I normally don’t like garages.”
It turned out she was safe, but her car was not.
A BMW sport utility vehicle crashed on top of a Jaguar and a Mercedes after smashing through a guardrail at a downtown parking garage (Credit: Chicago Fire Department)
Mari Moreria, the owner of the damaged Mercedes Benz said she found out about the crash when a co-worker saw it and gave her a call.
“This is bad. This is really bad,” she said.
Moreira works at Spanish language radio station 107.9 “La Ley,” along with host Raul Bernal.
“We can tell our listeners what happened,” Bernal said.
“I do the news in the morning, so I’m gonna say ‘Hello, I was part of the news,’” Moreira said.
Looking at her car now, Moreira said she’s disappointed, and just wanted to go home after a long day at work that started at 3 a.m.
A BMW landed on top of two other cars after crashing through a guardrail at a downtown parking garage. (Credit: Chicago Fire Department)
The driver of the BMW did not want to talk on camera, but he said he was returning a car he rented for business when he hit the gas instead of the brake.
With the Fire Department on the scene, a tow truck eventually showed up to very carefully pull the SUV off the other cars.
Once the BMW was hoisted off, the Mercedes emerged damaged but drivable. The Jaguar didn’t fare so well, and Kappos’ shopping trip came to a frustrating end.
The driver of the BMW, 74-year-old Lawrence Bruozis of Chicago, was cited for driving too fast for conditions. He declined to be treated by paramedics. No one else was hurt in the crash.
