Minivan driven into Medicap

RED OAK – The driver of a Mazda MVN minivan drove through the entrance of the Medicap Pharmacy in Red Oak, last Wednesday afternoon.

Pharmacist Masoode Nikseresht said he saw the van driving up and wasn’t stopping. Once the van broke through the window, Nikseresht told a drug rep he was talking with at the time to get away from the vehicle.

After diving behind a wall, Nikseresht checked to make sure his employees were okay and checked on the driver.

“The car was still running when I got out and I told [the customer] to shut off his car,” Nikseresht said.

The driver was identified as 86-year-old Charles Wilhelm of Hastings. Police said Wilhelm was traveling with his wife, Florence Evelyn.

No charges were filed against Wilhelm.

Nikseresht said he’s known the Wilhems, as they’ve been customers for 20 years.

“I wish it didn’t happen,” Nikseresht said. “It’s not anything against them or something. They are just human beings. It happens.” Police, firefighters and an ambulance showed up shortly after 2 p.m. The driver and passenger, both uninjured, were sent to Montgomery County Memorial Hospital for further evaluations.

No persons in the building were injured in the accident.

The estimated damage is $20,000 for the building and $5,000 for the vehicle. Interior damage included damaged ceiling tiles, damage from an adjoining office and rubber treads burned into the carpet.

Wilhelm told police the vehicle’s accelerator stuck.

Nikseresht would like to add parking stops to prevent future accidents. No timetable has been established on when Medicap’s building will be fully repaired. “Right now business is running and we’ve established something temporary and everything is going okay,” Nikseresht said.