Damage extensive, but nobody hurt
An 18-year-old driver’s ill-conceived attempt at accessing a right turn lane in Oak Harbor Thursday afternoon culminated in an unbelievably turbulent ride generally reserved for night terrors or absurd flicks requiring a complete suspension of disbelief.
Brianne Kiger was driving north on Highway 20 Thursday afternoon with her sights reportedly set on AM/PM and a full tank of gas.
Kiger’s trip went completely awry as she approached the right turn lane leading to the entrance that bisects the gas station and Jiffy Lube.
Oak Harbor Police Officer Tony Slowik said that in the young woman’s statement, she said her intent was to execute a right turn and pull up to the gas pumps. What actually transpired turned out to be more than a slight deviation from her original plan.
The 1992 Ford Aerostar’s front right tires scraped the curb, sending the mini-van up onto a strip of grass fronting the sidewalk. Slowik said Kiger lost control of the vehicle when it dropped back down to the road.
“She tried to make the turn about 15 feet too soon,” the officer said.
Out of control and making a perfect beeline for a power pole and “Do Not Enter” sign, somehow the van split the uprights only to be rewarded with a fast approaching and very formidable transformer box.
“She hit the transformer head-on and ripped it clean off, pushing it 20 feet,” Slowik said, rhetorically attributing the accident to excessive speed. “If it’s any indication how fast she was going, she completely sheered off the bolts, got airborne after hitting the concrete slab, and continued on.”
Slowik said the gas station and mini-mart immediately lost power when the transformer was struck. Without electricity, the business was forced to close its doors. A new transformer was installed by Friday morning, but power remained out.
Inanimate objects are replaceable. Humans are not. Kiger, now past the mangled transformer, was heading right for Michael Breaux’s 2005 Ford Ranger and Gary Gotz’s 1987 Chevy truck, both of which were parked at the pumps facing the highway. The owners were outside their vehicles filling their tanks.
Breaux heard the transformer lose the battle with the van and, reacting instinctively, had the wherewithal to remove the gas nozzle while shouting out a warning that might have saved Gotz’s life.
“The Aerostar slammed into the front of the Ranger and sent it probably 20 feet,” Slowik said. The truck’s front left tire wrapped itself around a horseshoe-shaped metal obstruction, preventing the Ford from plowing through an ATM.
Gotz was unable to remove the nozzle when he reacted to Breaux’s warning, but he was able to get out of the way just as the Ranger struck his vehicle and sent it back another 10 feet. The nozzle, torn off by the impact, only released a nominal amount of gas.
The surreal ordeal mercifully ended when Kiger’s mini-van finally came to rest after inflicting an unbelievable amount of damage.
The 18-year-old sustained minor injuries that were treated on-scene.
Kiger was arrested on an outstanding domestic violence warrant. She is currently being held in jail on $1,500 bail.
Thursday was not the reckless driver’s best day. Slowik said she was additionally cited for having no driver’s license on her person, negligent driving in the second degree, and the most potentially devastating citation, having no insurance.
Between the mangled and now defunct transformer, which Slowik said would cost a minimum of $5,000; the totaled Aerostar and the Ranger, also totaled out, and damage to the Chevy; and the 30 hours of lost business, Kiger could be looking at a hefty tab.
The gas station was scheduled to reopen by 5 p.m. Friday.
