There is new video from the moment a semi-truck slammed into a Starbucks in North County. The accident happened before daybreak along North Coast Highway in Oceanside. NBC 7’s Dave Summers reports.
A semi-truck crashed into a Starbucks in Oceanside earlier Wednesday, prompting a rescue for the driver who was trapped inside the cab and injuring one employee, authorities said.
The accident occurred at around 4:45 a.m. Wednesday at 801 N. Coast Highway, according to the Oceanside Fire Department.
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WATCH HEREFire officials said crews found that the truck had veered off the roadway and crashed into the building, causing significant damage.
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SIGN UP Sanjay Desai was working at the Super 8 motel across from the coffee shop at the time.
"It looked to me like a set on a Hollywood movie, where you put those kinds of things like props, but this thing was real," Desai, the motel manager, told NBC 7.
One of the motel security cameras captured the truck path. On closer examination, the truck hops the center divide before barreling through two buildings.
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"It looked like there was no attempt to stop. Who knows how tired was the driver or it was too tight and he didn't attempt the brakes or the brakes failed," Desai said.
If the tire tracks are any indication, it appears the driver did not hit his brakes until after the vehicle hopped the curb. According to Oceanside police, he was coming off state Route 76. He ran a red light before turning left on the 101, and then went straight through the parking lot. Police say he was having a medical emergency but that it was not a heart attack.
The driver's rescue was delayed due to an electrical hazard. San Diego Gas & Electric shut down the building's power, allowing firefighters to extricate the driver from the vehicle. Meanwhile, employees and customers were evacuated.
"All the lights went out in my apartment and the whole facility," Desai said.
The employee and driver sustained unspecified non-life-threatening injuries and were taken by paramedics to Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla.
San Diego Fire-Rescue's hazardous materials team was called due to a potential rupture in the truck's diesel fuel tank, but no hazardous spills were reported, officials said.
"The building has been deemed temporarily unsafe and is pending a complete structural evaluation," the department said in a statement.
Power near the building area was shut down during the accident. Crews were working to restore service, officials said.
Coast Highway traffic was impacted for several hours. Motorists were encouraged to seek alternate routes.
No serious injuries were immediately reported.
The Oceanside Police Department was investigating the cause of the crash.
Business owners in the area say this intersection is wrought with accidents and near misses.
"If it's your first time, you don't know where you are going, which way do you go," Desai said.
