Damage to courthouse from ramming pegged at $40,000

Provincial officials may want to conduct a review of security provisions at the Sir Henry Louis Davies Law Courts Building in Charlottetown in the wake of a bizarre incident early Monday in which a 45-year-old woman rammed her car through the front doors of the building.

That building, located on Water street, houses both the Trials and Appeals divisions of the P.E.I. Supreme Court, as well as P.E.I. Family court, P.E.I. Small Claims Court and a large law library.

Deputy Police Chief Richard Collins said Monday preliminary estimates of the damage to the building peg those damages at about $40,000.

The main entrance to the building was essentially demolished by the vehicle.

Staff arriving for work Monday who had not yet heard about the incident were amazed to see shards of broken glass, pieces of wood and twisted metal littering the entrance and the lobby.

Charles Thompson, prothonotary of the Supreme Court, said provincial public works staff were on the scene early Monday.

"The insurance adjustors have been here as well to assess the damages," Thompson said.

A temporary door was being installed until a more permanent fixture can be put in place.

Police say they have no idea as yet as to what prompted the woman to drive her vehicle into the building.

Witnesses say the woman rammed her vehicle through the doors, backed up, drove through them a second time, backed up again and drove through a third time.

When police arrived on the scene the woman had backed up a fourth time and rammed her car through the doors again, this time ending up inside the building.

Officers raced in and placed blocks under the vehicle tires.

The woman, allegedly still had her foot on the gas and was attempting to drive even further into the building.

When police stopped her, her vehicle was 15 to 20 yards inside the building.

The woman, whom police have not identified, remains at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital where she was taken for treatment of minor injuries and for further observation.

Charges are expected to be laid against the woman when she leaves hospital.

Despite the damage sustained in the accident it was business as usual at the courthouse Monday.

Thompson said he was not aware of any matters being canceled specifically due to this incident.

He said the only change he was aware of was that an additional commissionaire had to be brought in to man another door that was being used to let people into and out of the building because that door automatically locks when someone leaves.