CANTON, Mich. (WXYZ) — Canton police said several people were injured after a driver crashed into the Walmart on Ford Road Friday afternoon. It happened around 1:30 p.m.
A routine trip to Walmart for Lisa and Clark Iller turned into an emergency situation.
"I just heard a big crash, noise. It sounded like an explosion," Lisa Iller recalled. "People were screaming and yelling, and I don't even know how many people were hurt."
Lisae Iller said she managed to move out of the way of the falling shelves.
Canton Police Chief Chad Baugh told 7 Action News, “What we know at this point, she went in probably about 45 feet. It’s hard to say, but she went in about 45 feet and we know there’s a number of injuries. Probably up to about five injuries."
Iller recalled, "It was just terrible site. A lot of people got hurt. The driver didn't get out of the car. So, I knew something wasn't right."
Among those injured was a little girl, about 2 or 3 years old, in a shopping cart. Lisa Iller sprang into action.
"I just hugged that baby like she was mine. I was like, 'You're going to be OK. You're going to be OK.' I mean, I would hope someone would do it for mine," she said.
"I'm just glad I was at the right place at the right time, and I just wish more people would've helped."
She said two other shoppers, a nurse and paramedic came around the corner to help.
"Finally, the grandma came from around the corner and she was pretty beat up," Lisa Iller explained.
The chief said the driver was taken to the hospital for evaluation and a blood test will be done to determine if alcohol or drugs were involved.
“We’re not certain if it’s medical or not. But it does... time of day and the circumstances related to this does indicate it’s not nefarious," he said.
Lisa Iller, who has a 1-year-old and an 8-year-old, said what happened to the injured toddler hits especially close to home.
"I've been thinking about her all day. So I mean, I just hope she's OK. I hope everybody's OK. I mean, I hope everybody recovers from this," she said.
7 Action News reached out to Walmart corporate, which declined to comment and deferred all questions to police.
Again, the chief said this incident does not appear to be intentional. He said the injuries are not life threatening.
