Woman chokes on water, crashes into Steve Dowdy Motors

No injuries in one-car accident on Mt. Vernon Boulevard; building, SUV receive most damage
 
A car heading west on the loop in Mt. Vernon veered off the road and crashed into the entrance of Steve Dowdy Motors around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 22. No one was hurt in the incident, but a column on the building was knocked over, and the car received extensive damage, as well.
Steve Dowdy, owner of the dealership, declined to name the driver as a courtesy to her, but an accident report provided by the Mt. Vernon Police Department stated she was Jamie Pippin, of Battlefield.
According to the report, Pippin was at the intersection of Market and West Mt. Vernon Blvd., and after accelerating through the intersection, took a drink of water. She told officers that after drinking the water, the next thing she remembered was “sitting in her car after striking the building.”
Dowdy said he talked to Pippin after the accident, and that she told him that after drinking the water, it went down the wrong way.
“She said she took a drink of water,” he said, “got choked really bad, ‘and the next thing you know,’ she said, ‘I woke up here.””
According to the accident report, Mercy EMS arrived about 45 minutes thereafter, examined Pippin and found she had no apparent injuries. The vehicle was taken from the scene by Stop and Shop Towing.
In addition to the damage to the building, Pippin’s vehicle also clipped Dowdy’s sign which stands next to his dealership.
Dowdy said that Pippin’s insurance will cover the costs of the repairs, adding that he was still awaiting an estimate on how much that will be.
Dowdy also said that his dealership is still open for business, but customers will temporarily need to enter the building through the metal door that is to the right of the main entrance.