Bystanders spring into action after car crashes into building in Cambridge

Bystanders and staff at a local business jumped to help Wednesday after a crash sent a car careening off the road and into the side of a store.

Pader Lee, store manager at Hakim Optical on Hespeler Road in Cambridge, said she was inside working at a computer when she heard a loud bang.

“[I] ran to the door and saw that there was a car that had smashed into the outside of the building,” Lee said. “When we ran outside, there was a lady in distress in the car."

Lee said smoke was coming from the vehicle's hood and the woman was crying and shaking. She and the other bystanders helped her out of the car and then realized there was also a baby in the backseat.

“Our initial thoughts were to just get her out of the car because the airbags were deployed in the front and in the back seats, so we weren’t sure how many passengers were in the car with her – until we heard the baby cry,” Lee said. “She also told us there was a baby in the backseat, so we were able to get her and the baby out safely.”

Lee said she brought the mom and baby inside the store while they waited for emergency services to arrive. As far as she knows, both were fine, aside from a bruise on the woman’s hand. She said the other driver involved also seemed OK.

As for the building, Lee said the damage appears minor.

Waterloo regional police have confirmed they responded to a two-vehicle collision in the area around 2:30 on Wednesday.

No information on the cause of the crash has been released.