WILMINGTON — A popular farmers’ market in midtown Wilmington was disrupted Saturday morning after a motorist drove through the market.
Police are investigating the incident at Tidal Creek Farmers Market, in the 5400 block of Oleander Drive, with EMS and fire also responding. According to one person in attendance, the crash happened just before 9 a.m. when a Toyota sedan drove through vendor tents and struck a gazebo.
The witness at the scene, who spoke on background to Port City Daily, saw a few people taken away on stretchers and at least one person was directly hit, though injuries didn’t seem to be life-threatening.
“It could have been so much worse,” she said, noting the market was packed with people, estimating almost two dozen vendors were attendance, more than normal as the height of summer season approaches and more produce becomes available. “Some vendors had lines — I just keep thinking about the families and babies that were there in strollers or toddlers walking around who were spared.”
The motorist appeared to be “an older person” behind the wheel but the witness was unsure of their condition during the incident, whether it was age-related, if the driver was having an “episode of some sort” or lost control of the car. The witness also didn’t know of the driver’s condition following the accident.
Wilmington Police Department confirmed in a release they believe the driver was dealing with a medical issue and noted several pedestrians were taken to Novant New Hanover Regional Medical Center for treatment.
The witness was 12 feet away from the car as it drove through the parking lot and struck tents, including a flower vendor, before the car drove into the gazebo.
“Everybody was screaming: ‘Get out of the way,’ ‘stop,’ ‘watch out!'” the witness detailed, noting people with EMS experience rushed to help until emergency personnel arrived. “And they got here very quickly, thank goodness.”
The market was shut down following the incident as police investigate the scene.
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