Driver takes out wall of South Tahoe post office

By Kathryn Reed

Almost an entire side of the post office at the Y in South Lake Tahoe is damaged.

A 61-year-old South Lake Tahoe woman twice drove through the wall on the left side of the building on Feb. 12.

When officers arrived the 2002 Ford Explorer was still in the building. The woman was given a field sobriety test, which was negative. She was not cited.

Two gaping holes were left from one vehicle Feb. 12 at the Tahoe Valley Post Office. Photo/Kathryn Reed

“She said the accelerator stuck, which caused her to go into building. She put it in reverse and as she was backing up she tried to put it in neutral, but she hit drive again and she went through post office again, at which time she shut the car off,” police Officer Donna Kingman told Lake Tahoe News.

The vehicle appeared to be totaled, with the windshield smashed and major damage sustained to the front end.

An ambulance was not called, but Kingman said the woman was spitting out glass.

While it caused quite a commotion Tuesday afternoon, it was business as usual inside the post office.

The building was to be secured, though just before 5pm the post office was wide open except for the yellow tape across the holes. People who have postal boxes in that area may obtain their mail from the front counter.

The local postmaster deferred comment to corporate PR. He was not available for comment.