Nothing ruins a good day in the mall like having a car dropped on you. For some shoppers in Guatemala City, this is exactly what happened as a car came smashing through a roof, causing fatal damage.
Videos by Wide Open Country
According to the reports, the vehicle was driving around the mall's attached car park. They were going at speeds way over the recommended. Because of this, the car smashed through a barrier and then down into the mall, killing one and injuring others.
Footage from the scene shows the devastation left by the car. The car plunged through the mall before smashing into a kiosk in the populated central area. The wreckage can be seen, torn and crushed, smoking in the middle of the hall. Joel Abelino Pereira Cruz told Storyful "I was shopping with my family and we were passing by just when the accident happened. The car literally fell [30 feet] from where I was."
He and his family were lucky enough to avoid injury. However, the mall in Guatemala was busy with pre-Christmas shoppers. The careening car smashed straight into a staffed kiosk.
Man Crushed By Mall Fall Car
One 22-year-old man was killed by the car as it came smashing through the building. He was crushed as he worked, with emergency services unable to save him. Three others were also taken to the hospital, one other just avoided a fatal incident, according to reports.
However, the driver of the destroyed sedan car was recovered from the vehicle. Quick to respond, shoppers from the mall tipped his car back to its wheels and pulled him from the wreck. The driver was taken to hospital but miraculously survived the huge accident.
Investigations as to why and how this happened will need to be performed. Driving recklessly around corners and in a car park is irresponsible. However, the barrier, which was the only thing between the mall and the car, was seemingly inadequate.
The loss of life was tragic, and an awful way to go. The accident will have happened with no warning at all. The Guatemala Mall is just lucky not to have had more people in the central area of the building when the car dropped in.
