A car plowed into an Orchards-area Jack in the Box shortly after noon Tuesday, sending the driver and a restaurant employee to the hospital.
Georgann Dokos, 65, of Yacolt was behind the wheel of a Subaru Outback traveling south on Northeast 117th Avenue in the northbound lanes when the vehicle suddenly swerved and went off the roadway, according to the Washington State Patrol.
The Subaru traveled over a sidewalk, leaving behind its fender, then through shrubs and into the Jack in the Box drive-thru area before crashing through the north side of the restaurant, which is used for preparation and storage, Trooper Will Finn said.
Debris from the crash struck the worker inside, Maria C. Castro Lopez, 42, of Vancouver. Dokos and Castro Lopez were taken to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center with minor injuries, the state patrol said.
Troopers performed a field sobriety test on Dokos and found no signs of impairment; they suspect the woman sustained a medical emergency, Finn said.
“Troopers have learned the 65-year-old female does have a medical history,” Finn said. “Due to privacy laws, I cannot disclose what type of history.”
Dokos was cited for second-degree negligent driving, the state patrol said.
Prior to the crash, authorities said Dokos was involved in a fender-bender a half a mile away. Danielle Coates, 41, of Vancouver was driving east on Northeast Padden Parkway when she approached the stoplight at 117th Avenue. She looked into the rearview mirror and saw “the panic on her face” as the driver of the Subaru hit her vehicle, she said.
Coates, a registered nurse, said she got out of the car and exchanged information with the woman and took photos of the damaged vehicles. The woman said she had to get going.
“She said she was in a hurry, that she had an appointment,” Coates said.
She followed the Subaru south on 117th Avenue and saw the vehicle go over the center divider and travel into a grassy area. Coates called 911 and drove into the parking lot, where she was met by another nurse, 36-year-old Joseph Luczek of Vancouver, who saw the Subaru traveling erratically.
“I looked at the driver and she had this blank, expressionless stare,” Luczek said. “I knew she needed help, and I thought I could help.”
Luczek made a U-turn and drove to the Jack in the Box, where he found the Subaru had crashed through the wall of the restaurant. Smoke billowed out of the car as he opened the vehicle’s door and pulled Dokos out. Luczek and Coates tried asking Dokos questions but both said she was not compliant or coherent.
A tow truck removed the Subaru, and officials made sure the building was structurally sound before responders left the scene.
