A driver pumping gas at a Sonoco station in Wallingford narrowly escaped harm when the gas station canopy collapsed onto his car Tuesday afternoon.
Footage from the scene shows debris covering his car. Emergency crews responding to the gas station at the intersection of River Road and Route 150 peeled a pile of twisted metal from the car, and when they were done, the man drove off.
"The gentleman was outside, luckily. He was pumping gas and a portion of the canopy fell on his car," explained gas station owner Rashid Sherwani. "He didn't get a scratch, and none of the windows of the car broke. There were many dents but none of the windows broke."
Sherwani said 5-6 inches of snow accumulated on top of the canopy should not have been enough to cause the collapse.
"That should not be a problem for a canopy because it is designed to have all those things," he explained.
The gas station pumps are closed while repairmen work to fix the damage. Sherwani said he hopes to have the canopy rebuilt and the gas station up and running within the next few days.
