GREENFIELD — A man was taken to the hospital for evaluation Sunday afternoon after driving into a parked car and then backing into the side of Shelburne Falls Coffee Roasters on Federal Street.

The incident was reported at around 3:30 p.m., according to Greenfield Police Sgt. David Rice. Upon investigation, police found that the man drove his black Nissan Altima over the center line while going southbound on Federal Street before colliding with a blue Hyundai parked by the Episcopal Church of Saints James and Andrew. He then put his car in reverse, striking the brick storefront of Shelburne Falls Coffee Roasters.

“It was very loud and then there was kind of a crashing noise and a lot of dust,” said Fiona Spiegler, a barista who was working directly on the other side of the involved wall.

While the incident remains under investigation, Rice said his department’s “working hypothesis” is that a medical emergency may have contributed to the driver’s erratic operation. Police do not suspect drugs or alcohol were involved in the crash, he added.

The driver, the lone occupant estimated by Rice to be in his 60s, was transported by American Medical Response (AMR) to Baystate Franklin Medical Center for evaluation. Rice said he was still seated in the driver’s seat of his vehicle upon police arrival, but likely could have removed himself from the car unassisted. No injuries to the man nor other parties were reported at the scene, Rice noted.

“Luckily, no one was sitting in those chairs out front because that could have been bad,” he said, motioning to the coffee shop’s outdoor seating.

Other than minor damage to its brick exterior, damage to the coffee shop included a broken outdoor table. Barista Gabby Weeden said one woman was knocked over, yet uninjured as the Nissan toppled the shop’s tables.

“She had just walked out of the store and the tables were knocked over and they knocked her over,” Weeden recapped.

Spiegler said “there were a lot of bystanders” outside at the time of the collision.

“The bystanders were pretty quick to call 911,” Spiegler added.

Rice said the owner of the parked Hyundai was inside the Episcopal Church of Saints James and Andrew for a concert when the incident happened.

The Nissan sustained heavy damage, with the most severe being damage to its rear passenger-side corner. The Hyundai sustained heavy front-end damage. Both vehicles were towed by Koch’s Automotive Inc.

The Greenfield Fire Department also responded. Officials confirmed that damage to the shop was not of structural concern, Rice said.

Rice predicted that there would be charges brought upon the driver, but that none had been specified as of late Sunday afternoon.

The affected portion of Federal Street, which was blocked off as emergency responders worked, reopened to vehicular traffic shortly after 4 p.m.

Reach Julian Mendoza at 413-930-4231 or jmendoza@recorder.com.

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