Driver hits accelerator instead of brake, winds up in SP Inn courtyard

Accidentally applying the accelerator and not the brakes led to an accident April 1 when a Santa Paula man trying to park at Blanchard Community Library instead wound up in the courtyard of Santa Paula Inn. SPPD Sgt. Jeremy Watson said Sergio Medina, 19, told police he was attempting to park at the library, located at 119 N. 8th St., at about 12:12 p.m. but “hit the accelerator instead of the brake.” Medina’s 1998 Ford Explorer went through the fence into the courtyard of Santa Paula Inn, hit a pillar and finally a wall of the boutique hotel before the vehicle stopped. There were no injuries and no estimate of damages.