Jul. 6--GREENSBORO -- The driver of a pickup truck was injured today after he sped through two parking lots and struck a light pole, knocking it against a Wachovia bank branch.

The driver, whose identity was not immediately available, was the only person injured. He was taken by ambulance to a local hospital, and police officers and firefighters at the scene said the man's injuries did not appear to be life-threatening. He was the only person in the pickup truck.

The crash happened at the Wachovia at 926 E. Bessemer Ave., one block east of Summit Avenue. The building sustained minimal damage, and the bank remained open.

Police and witnesses gave this account:

Shortly before 11 a.m. Monday, a green GMC Sonoma pickup truck pulled out of the BB&T branch at 915 E. Bessemer Ave. and crossed five lanes of traffic into a parking lot on the south side of Bessemer. The truck turned right and went through a shopping center parking lot in front of Rainbow Laundry and Bessemer Curb Market.

As the truck gained speed, it continued into the parking lot on the east side of the Wachovia branch. It sideswiped a Chevrolet Cavalier sedan in the parking lot, then smashed into the concrete base of a light pole at one corner of the bank.

The impact knocked over the light, damaged a downspout and crumpled the front of the truck. The sideswiped Cavalier sustained cosmetic damage.

A police officer said the driver blamed the crash on a stuck accelerator. Charges are possible.

"It definitely could have been a lot worse," Officer Andrew Cameron said.

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