Woman drives into Kings Park post office, say police

A 58-year-old woman drove into the Kings Park Post Office building after hitting the car accelerator instead of the brake in the parking lot on Thursday, Suffolk County police and fire officials said.

The woman, whose identity was not immediately available, drove a 2011 Ford into the side of the post office about 10 a.m. but did not strike anyone inside the occupied building, authorities said.

The woman suffered minor injuries and was taken to St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center in Smithtown, said police. No citations were issued, police said.

Dan Guilfoil, chief of the Kings Park Fire Department, said the accident left a 3-by-3-foot hole in the building, damaging the exterior and part of a wall near the lobby. But the car did not completely go through the interior, he said.

"We responded, got on scene and found . . . [a] lady had mistakenly hit the accelerator instead of the brake, popped the curb and accelerated into the building," said Guilfoil.

William White, Smithtown town building director, said a building inspector assessed the damage, which he described as "minor," and the building was able to remain open for business.

The hole was taped off, police said.

Christine Dugas, spokeswoman for the Long Island district of the United States Postal Service, said an interior office also was damaged. "When the wall got pushed in, it caused some damage to the interior wall of the office behind it," she said.