Car crashes into Petaluma Starbucks, injuring 3 people inside

Three people sitting inside a Petaluma Starbucks were injured after a car drove into the building on East Washington Street and struck them Friday morning, Petaluma fire officials said.

A woman was driving a Honda Accord east on East Washington Street and collided with the building just before 11:40 a.m., Petaluma police said in a news release. When officials arrived, they found that the car halfway inside the building.

Three people inside were struck by the car when it crashed into the store. Two had suffered minor injuries and were treated at the coffee shop, while the other was transported to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital with moderate injuries, Petaluma Fire Battalion Chief Chad Costa said in a news release. The driver was uninjured.

The driver told police that she had been speeding, and made an unsafe lane change to avoid a collision, police said in a news release. In doing so, she lost control of the vehicle and drove into the Starbucks. There is no evidence to suggest drugs or alcohol were involved in the crash, said Petaluma Police Lt. Tim Lyons.

Lyons couldn’t provide the name of the driver Friday night.

After the crash, Petaluma City Building Department and firefighters evaluated the Starbucks and determined that the store had structural damage. Construction personnel were called to start the process of remodeling the building, Costa said in his release.

Officers are still investigating the collision. Anyone who witnessed the incident is asked to contact Traffic Officer Mario Giomi at 707-778-4372.

You can reach Staff Writer Chantelle Lee at 707-521-5337 or chantelle.lee@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @ChantelleHLee.