Two women plowed their vehicle into a Kirkland apartment building Wednesday afternoon, injuring three people and displacing multiple others.

The women were returning from a café when the driver accelerated through a parking spot and into the passenger’s apartment at 240 5th Ave. The passenger’s husband was inside and all three were transferred to hospitals with no major injuries according to Kirkland Police Lt. Rob Saloum.

The vehicle was almost entirely embedded within the building. No other tenants were home and nobody witnessed the incident. Saloum said that police believe driver error caused the accident and no alcohol was involved.

The vehicle completely demolished the apartment’s outer wall and damaged a support beam inside. City engineers examined the building and determined that five to six surrounding units will be uninhabitable for at least the night.

Currently there is no estimate as to when the building will become habitable.

An upstairs neighbor, Kristopher Miller returned from breakfast to find wreckage. He and other residents are able to retrieve their belongings under official escort, but must find another place to live until the building is repaired.

“It kind of sucks,” Miller said. “I’m going to have to live with my parents for a second … [but] stuff happens.”

The American Red Cross is currently contacting the tenants and helping them find temporary shelter.

“It’s bad in the sense that there’s a lot of property damage,” Saloum said, “but in terms of injuries, everyone is ok and that’s more important.”

The vehicle was removed by a tow truck before Kirkland firefighters cleaned up the scene and posted danger warnings and contact information for returning tenants.

Kirkland Firefighters work to stabilize the building and clean the wreckage in the aftermath of Wednesday’s collision. Kailan Manandic, Kirkland Reporter