October 16, 2026

Athens News

News in English from Greece

Nea Makri: a pensioner confused the gas with the brake and drove into a pharmacy


In Nea Makri a car literally drove into the pharmacy after an elderly driver, according to preliminary data, mixed up the gas and brake pedals.

An unusual accident occurred on Tuesday morning. September 8shortly before 11:00 on Marathonos Avenue in Nea Makri.

According to local publication Marathon Pressa car driven by an elderly woman was moving along Circus Street, then turned onto Marathonos Avenue and tried to park in front of the pharmacy.

On the way up to the store, the car drove onto a ramp, after which the driver reportedly pressed the gas instead of the brake.

The car accelerated sharply, broke through the glass display case and drove directly into the pharmacy, stopping at the side shelves.

There were people inside

At the time of the accident, there were two employees, a child and a medical representative in the pharmacy.

In addition, literally a few minutes before the incident, three more clients left the premises.

Despite the force of the impact and the large amount of broken glass, no one was hurt.

Pharmacy owner Lia Azizi said Bankingnewsthat the car stopped almost where the buyers had been standing shortly before.

“We’re really lucky. If people had stayed a few more minutes, the consequences could have been completely different.”

The driver was an 80-year-old woman

Bankingnews clarifies that the car was driven by 80 year old woman.

Her husband was in the car with her.

Both were also unharmed.

The main damage occurred to:

  • showcase;
  • entrance part of the room;
  • internal shelving;
  • goods and equipment.

According to the owners, we are talking about significant material damage.

How it all happened

Judging by the published video, the car, after turning, headed straight to the entrance to the pharmacy and, already on the ramp, suddenly picked up speed.

After that, the car broke through the glass facade almost without slowing down.

The initial version – the driver mixed up the pedals – is confirmed by the stories of eyewitnesses and the owners of the pharmacy, but the official conclusion on the causes of the accident must be given by the traffic police.

Main: Despite the very spectacular accident, neither the pharmacy employees, nor the child inside, nor the driver and passenger were injured.

Such accidents happen more often than you think

Incorrectly pressing the gas pedal instead of the brake is one of the typical reasons for sudden acceleration of a car when parking.

Situations near shops and other premises where the parking space is located directly in front of the glass facade become especially dangerous.

That is why such incidents often end with a car driving into a store, cafe or pharmacy.

In this case, the presence of the ramp did not actually stop the car, but on the contrary allowed it to freely rise to the entrance.

The video shows the whole moment

The cameras recorded how the car, after turning, heads towards the pharmacy and then quickly disappears inside the premises.

The footage clearly shows how close the situation was to a serious tragedy.

Result: The accident in Nea Makri resulted in only material damage, although several people were inside the premises at the time of the impact. A few seconds and a random coincidence effectively separated a simple parking mistake from potentially dire consequences.





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