A Subaru SUV is wedged Monday morning into a storage trailer at the Walmart Supercenter at 100 Mt. Auburn Ave. in Auburn. The driver was taken away in an ambulance. Auburn Police Department photo

AUBURN — One person was taken to the hospital Monday morning after a Subaru SUV drove into a shipping container at the Walmart Supercenter at 100 Mt. Auburn Ave.

Ronald Lachance, 85, of Minot was suffering a medical event while driving his 2024 Subaru SUV around 10:54 a.m. in the Walmart parking lot, said Auburn Police Deputy Chief Tim Cougle.

Lachance could not differentiate between the brake and gas pedals when he pressed on the gas and drove through a 53-foot Conex-type shipping container where he remained for a short time, Cougle said.

An Auburn Fire Department crew extricated Lachance and transported him to Central Maine Medical Center for non-life-threatening injuries.

A witness inside the automotive center reported hearing what sounded like lightning hitting the building just after 11 a.m. Employees blocked the area off as the Auburn Fire Department and police responded to the scene. Photos show the vehicle wedged into the side of a shipping container with a long gash where the vehicle struck the container.

There are no skid marks seen on the pavement leading to the containers. The witness said the vehicle struck with enough force to move four of the containers, which weigh between 8,000 and 9,500 pounds empty.

Auburn police and firefighters respond Monday morning to the Walmart Supercenter at 100 Mt. Auburn Ave. for an SUV that smashed into a storage trailer. The driver was taken away in an ambulance. Joe Payton photo