CANTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Several people were injured when a car crashed through a Canton Township Walmart.
The vehicle crashed through the Ford Road Walmart in Canton Township at around 1:30 p.m. on Friday, March 1, 2024, according to police.
“She was in the cart with another lady a I asked if it was it her baby, she said no, so I picked her up and called for help,” said Lisa Iller.
For a grandmother of two Iller says she needed to get the baby help immediately.
“When I picked her up she was making little tiny noises, but she was really hurt, she was pretty beat up,” Iller said.
Iller said she started looking desperately through the debris for the child’s mother.
“I didn’t know where mom was,” Iller said. “I thought her mom was under the shelves, and I was scared for her. I was afraid she might not make it.”
Paramedics quickly rushed the child to the hospital.
“The car is about 40 feet inside,” said Canton Township police Chief Chad Baugh.
Baugh says the driver who crashed into the pharmacy may have suffered a medical emergency.
“We had a driver who we know drove through the side of the Walmart on the side of the pharmacy area,” Baugh said. “Right now, we know we have five people injured, including a child.”
For Iller, it was a Friday afternoon she will never forget.
“I have a baby that’s 11 months and an 8-year-old that are in daycare right now, and it could’ve been them,” Iller said.
“It was scary,” said Delores Turner, who witnessed the crash. “It sounded like a bomb going off.”
When the driver crashed into the building, Turner said she narrowly escaped.
“I heard crunch crunch, and that was it, and I ran, and then the car came through, and all the shelves came down,” Turner said.
Several people were injured by fallen shelves and products, including the young child.
“I’m sad for the little girl, and I hope that she will be OK because they said it was a little girl,” said Passion.
“It was a straight shot,” Turner said.
“She flew down the main aisle and flew inside the building with her car,” Passion said.
It was a massive community effort between Walmart workers, shoppers, and first responders.
“Well, the cops turned around and turned over all of the shelves because there was somebody underneath,” Turner said.
“From Westland, and I believe Livonia transported some individuals, including our fire department that was providing first aid for those that were injured,” Baugh said.
“That’s terrifying, not to mention I was getting ready to go onto the pharmacy side,” said another woman.
Police said that initial reports indicate that “Several people inside the building” were injured and were taken to a hospital by first responders, but none of the injuries were life-threatening, including the driver.