Fashion Over Function: High Heel Shoe Causes Woman to Crash Vehicle into Building

A 20-year-old Lakeland woman drove her vehicle into a wall at Smalley’s Caribbean Barbeque Tuesday night after her high heel shoe apparently caused her to hit the gas instead of the brake.

The woman had not been inside the downtown restaurant prior to the crash, and was not impaired at the time of the crash, according to police. No one was injured.

When police arrived, the officers found the woman trying to change a flat tire—due to striking the building—who admitted to driving her vehicle into the back stairway of the Brick Alley building.

The woman told police that “high heels prohibited her from adequately driving the vehicle and resulted in her hitting the gas instead of the brake causing her to strike the building,” the report states.

Police noted “significant damage” to the stairs and structure of the stairwell from the east side of the building where she hit the wall.

No citations were issued as a result of the crash.