A driver crashed through the wall of a downtown Courtenay business on the afternoon of Sept. 11.

The driver walked from the vehicle to the ambulance after the crash, and there were no injuries within the building that houses Design Therapy, though owner Jenny Deters said that one staff member had been working near the site just before the crash.

"We were just doing business as usual, and all of a sudden the entire building shook and a car came through the wall," Deters said. "My employee had just moved off of the sofa that was in front of the door, so that was good timing."

Fire crews responded, and had cordoned off the street out of a concern for the structure of the building.

"There seems to be a centre beam inside the store that was damaged," said Deputy Chief Jonathan Welsh. "It's an older part of the city, so there's lots of structural concerns to deal with in the older buildings. We just want to make sure that everything is safe to enter and pass by."

The driver was taken to hospital out of precaution, but Walsh said, "she walked over to the ambulance on her own."

The business will likely be closed until the damage is repaired.

"I guess we'll be closed for a little bit," Deters said.