A passerby pulled a driver from her red Chevy SUV after it slammed into the historic Cobble Hill Hall early Tuesday morning, as the car caught fire, causing damage to the 97-year-old building.
The incident occurred about 6:30 a.m. and damaged the handicap ramp, the side of the building, the soffits, the gutter and slightly bent the double metal door leading to the inside of the building, according to Gerry Giles, secretary of the Farmers Institute, which runs the building.
“As long as the woman driving is OK and uninjured that’s the main thing,” Giles said. “We can always fix the building.”
Police, fire and ambulance crews all attended.
“The fire was basically snuffed out by the time we got there,” said Mill Bay Fire Rescue chief Ron Deck.
He said his crew got to the scene ahead of ambulance crews so they tended to the driver until the paramedics arrived.
She was taken to the hospital with what is believed to be non-life-threatening injuries.
Shawnigan Lake RCMP said they had no information to release as of Tuesday morning.
sarah.simpson@cowichanvalleycitizen.com
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