By Jed Lanyon
An elderly driver crashed their car into the storefront of a Yarra Glen fish and chip shop on Wednesday 15 May – the second such incident on Bell Street in 12 days.
After another elderly driver took out a pole outside The Bottle-O on Friday 3 May.
Nobody was inside Highside Fish and Chips Cafe at the time of the incident, as the business had decided to close early for the day.
“We were lucky that we weren’t there…We had pulled the pin on the day early at 11am, so we were meant to be there,” business owner Peter Hagianis said.
Lilydale SES, CFA and Ambulance Victoria crews were called to the scene at 1.15pm with reports that a person might be trapped.
The storefront was significantly damaged and was still borded up, though no significant structural damage was evident.
Mr Hagianis said that it was too early to tell the true extent of the damage, that he was going through the insurance process and he was unsure when he would re-open.
Police believed the crash was the result of a driver trying to park their car and putting their foot on the accelerator instead of the brake.
The Friday 3 May incident was nearly identical.
Police said an elderly driver also hit their accelerator instead of the brake, taking out a pole that held up the awning outside the Yarra Glen Bottle-O.
The business’s owner said that prior to the second accident he had asked Yarra Ranges Council to install bollards along the footpath to help prevent further incidents.
Paramedics assessed the driver and a passenger at the latest scene, but there were no reported injuries from either incident.
