SUV narrowly misses pedestrian in West Islip, crashes into insurance office

A pedestrian narrowly escaped injury Tuesday in West Islip after a Subaru Forester came within inches of hitting him before crashing through the front of a strip mall insurance office.

Surveillance footage from a pizzeria next door showed the man walking on a sidewalk in front of the office when the blue SUV jumped a curb. The pedestrian jumped out of the way of the SUV, which came to a stop halfway into the building.

“He’s very lucky. He’s very, very lucky,” said John Raimondi, owner of the restaurant, Our Little Italy Pizza & Pasta, of the pedestrian.

An 86-year-old man behind the wheel of the Forester and his 82-year-old wife sustained minor injuries and were treated at Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center in West Islip, police said. Police did not say what led to the crash.

No one at the insurance office was injured in the crash at about 2:40 p.m., police said. Employees with the company, Hometown Insurance Agency at 632 Union Blvd., were not available for comment.

Shortly before the crash, Raimondi said, the man, whom he did not know, bought a few slices of pizza and took them to his car. The customer returned to the shop when he realized he forgot his keys, Raimondi said. As the man exited the restaurant, the surveillance camera captured the Forester, which appeared to be pulling into a parking space. The Forester then quickly accelerated while the pizza patron was looking directly at the vehicle's front bumper and alertly jumped out the way.

Raimondi said he was in his restaurant's dining room when he heard a thunderous crash.

“I heard glass shattering and it sounded like a car went through the building," he said. "It was very loud."

Raimondi then rushed outside and saw a man in the driver's seat, and a woman in the passenger's seat while the Forester’s front half was inside the business.

“You could tell they were very shaken up,” Raimondi said.

The couple were trapped inside the vehicle. The woman in the passenger seat tried to open her door, but was blocked by debris, Raimondi said. The man and the woman were rescued by emergency personnel through the Forester’s hatchback. They were pulled from the SUV in about 10 minutes, Raimondi said.