Car Crashes Into Three Downtown Norwood Stores-August 11, 1993

Crash Result of Stuck Gas Pedal

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The front license plate on the car that sideswiped three downtown storefronts yesterday afternoon seemed to sum it up perfectly: “Here comes… trouble!” A gray 1986 Chrysler Fifth Avenue jumped the curb at approximately 1:00 p.m. and plowed into local businesses along Washington Street (Route 1A) as the driver, 70-year-old retired Norwood firefighter James F. Maroney of 9 Lancaster Lane, attempted to make a right turn onto Day Street. “The gas pedal got stuck,” recounted Maroney, who walked away from the chaotic scene completely unscathed. “It just picked up speed and I couldn’t stop it. Once I hit the first store, I couldn’t get it away, no matter what I did.”

Parked originally on the northbound side of Washington Street in the space closest to the intersection, Maroney’s vehicle surged onto the sidewalk, striking the corner building and shattering the front window of Garber Travel. The Chrysler then careened into Hill Jewelers, causing a heavy steel security gate to roll down over the window frame. Continuing its destructive path, the car shattered the display window of the Cheerio of Norwood gift shop—knocking over signs and knickknacks—before finally coming to a halt just inches from Brenner’s Children’s Shop. Aron Greenfield, who co-owns Brenner’s with his wife, Martha, described the terrifying moment: “We heard a thunder… We figured he must’ve hit 15 cars, because the noise was so tremendous. I thought the building was going to come down.” A crowd of dozens quickly gathered as police and towing crews cleared the heavily damaged car, which suffered a smashed right-front fender, crushed door, and knocked-out headlights. Reflecting on his clean three-decade driving record on the fire department, Maroney quipped with relief, “In 30 years of driving a fire truck, I never had an accident. When I do anything, I do it first class.”

(Reporting by Pedro Pereira and photography by Rosemary Lincoln for The Patriot Ledger).

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger