Mayor Rams Car Into Store, Drives Through Automatic Doors To Buy Groceries; Former Driving Instructor Says It Was The 'Fault Of The Car'

On Tuesday, a British mayor accidentally rammed his car into a grocery store on Tuesday and drove all the way through the automatic sliding doors.

Mayor Terry Buckle, 73, while trying to park in front of the Tesco Express grocery store in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, may have unintentionally pressed the gas pedal instead of the brakes.

As he tried to get to a disabled parking spot directly in front of the shop, Buckle drove his car all the way through the automatic sliding doors that opened as he approached.

Buckle's vehicle ended up being stuck in the store, with only a small part of the car's trunk protruding from the grocery store.

However, Buckle described the accident differently by putting his blame on car's brakes. "I put the brakes on and all of a sudden the car shot forward for no apparent reason. I don't think my foot was on the accelerator. It might have been a fault with the car," he said.

From this bizarre accident, Buckle was hospitalized nearby for whiplash and shoulder injuries.

Buckle was selected mayor of the U.K. Town just five days prior to the accident, and was a former bus-driving teacher. The crash on Tuesday was his first auto car accident in 56 years.

The mayor said, "I know people might think it is a bit of a joke that I have become mayor and the first thing I have done is wreck my car but I cannot see the funny side of it."

According to Buckle, he was "really shaken up" from the simple thought of the possibility that he might have hit someone in the store.

"I am just so thankful that nobody was in the doorway when the car went through," he said.

In response to the accident, a Tesco spokesperson said, "We wish the driver a speedy recovery and are relieved that none of our other customers or colleagues were hurt during this incident."

See below for a video of how Buckle's car was rescued from the store.