Cat-astrophe

By Casey Neill
FERNTREE Gully pet store staff narrowly escaped the path of a wayward driver who smashed his sedan through a Mountain Gate shopfront on Saturday night (4 July).
Mad About Pets staff member Samantha Painter said two colleagues were outside the store just minutes before the car ploughed through its front window about 6.30pm.
“It missed them by about five minutes,” she said.
The store’s animals also escaped the incident unharmed.
“Thankfully they were all at the back of the store,” she said.
Ms Painter said it appeared the elderly male driver lost control as he rounded a bend in wet conditions.
A doctor will submit a medical review in relation to the man’s licence but police will not lay any charges.
“We’re just glad that nobody got hurt,” Ms Painter said.
Fire crews had to free the car’s female passenger from her seat.
The shop’s window frame trapped the elderly woman for some time.
Ambulance Victoria spokeswoman Lauren Nowak told the Mail that paramedics took the driver and passenger to Upper Ferntree Gully’s Angliss Hospital for a check-up.
Ms Nowak said neither was uninjured but ‘quite shaken’.
An Angliss Hospital spokeswoman said the elderly, male driver was discharged later that night, but could not confirm whether or not his passenger was admitted.
Police and SES crews also attended the scene.
Ms Painter said the store was still counting the cost of the incident, but there was significant damage to stock, including several fish tanks, the front window and ceiling.
The owners closed the pet shop on Sunday to clear away debris and barricade and stabilise the damaged area.
The store reopened yesterday (Monday) morning.
They must now wait on their insurer before they can begin repairs.