PALM HARBOR, Fla. — Florida Highway Patrol said no injuries were reported after a pickup truck crashed into two businesses in a plaza on Alderman Road Wednesday afternoon. 

What You Need To Know

  • FHP says a Ford F150 crashed into two Palm Harbor businesses when the 76-year-old driver accidentally accelerated

  • Texture Salon suffered most of the damage, with Anytime Fitness next door also being impacted

  • Palm Harbor's fire chief says the businesses will be closed until a structural engineer determines the extent of the damage

  • Both businesses say they plan to reopen following repairs

“It was a very close call, yeah,” said Diane Cooper, facility manager for Anytime Fitness, one of the businesses impacted. “I feel very blessed that nobody was injured.”

FHP Public Affairs Officer Sergeant Steve Gaskins said the crash happened at 3:47 p.m. when a 76-year-old driving a Ford F150 accidentally accelerated while in the parking lot.

Texture Salon suffered the bulk of the damage, with the truck taking out the entire front of the business. It entered at an angle and hit the wall the salon shares with the gym. Cooper said she was on the other side of that wall.

“It sounded like an explosion. My first thought, because I manage a gym, is that somebody dropped something, but obviously it was too loud for that,” Cooper said. “I felt the wall crack, and my big IT station that was behind me is really heavy. It slammed into my back of my chair and pushed me into my desk.”

Cooper said she wasn’t seriously hurt but was left shaken. The same couldn’t be said for some of the gym’s patrons.

“When the fire guys told everybody to leave, there were a bunch of guys that were very loyal. They’re in there trying to finish their workout. They weren’t even gawking or trying to see what was going on,” she said.

Palm Harbor Fire Rescue Chief told Spectrum Bay News 9 the businesses are closed until a structural engineer can determine the extent of the damage. Both businesses said they plan to reopen following repairs.