One dead, three injured after car crashes into Oglethorpe Post Office on Eisenhower Drive

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Savannah Police Department’s Traffic Investigation Unit is investigating a car that crashed into the U.S. Post Office on Eisenhower Drive this morning. One person is dead and three are injured, according to a release from Savannah Police.

Savannah Police Chief Roy Minter said officers responded to the scene around 11:45 a.m. Saturday morning, where they found the vehicle inside the Post Office building.

The 82-year-old driver was trying to park her car in the parking lot when she accidentally hit the gas pedal instead of the brake, according to the preliminary investigation. The car jumped the curb and drove through a glass window. The car hit four people inside the building, including three customers and one employee, before stopping.

Jessie Allen, 67, died from her injuries. Two other customers, including one with serious injuries, and an employee were transferred to a nearby hospital for treatment, according to the release.

The driver was not injured in the accident. Savannah Police have determined that the crash was accidental.

The Post Office was open on Monday.

The window is now blocked and a bouquet of flowers honoring the victim has been placed against it.

Art Chapple pulled into the Post Office that day and says he didn’t immediately get out of the car like he would typically. He says that probably saved his life.

Soon after, he says he heard a loud noise and it wasn’t until he walked in to mail his package that he saw the destruction. Chapple says he had no idea that anyone was hurt at the time.

He says it was silent as people moved around to help before first responders arrived. Chapple says he feels blessed that he wasn’t inside.

“I heard a loud crashing sound and it reminded me of something like somebody had dumped a lot of something in a metal dumpster. Every day is an extra day. We really never know what’s going to happen and I feel so sorry for the people that were in there,” he said.

Chapple says he went back Monday to mail his package and the counters were still in disarray and caved in.

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