The dentist was just finishing up with the first patient of the day when the Chevy Impala came to rest with its front bumper just inside the exam room of the Precious Smile dental office.
The 31-year-old driver appeared to have a seizure while heading west on Hostetter Road. He lost consciousness, drove over the center divider, missed a couple pedestrians on the sidewalk and crashed into the building. Police said he had a medical condition.
Dr. Charito Jimenez, one of the dentists in the office, had just turned her back to the window and heard a big bang.
"Just saw the car go through the glass and barely miss a patient and assistant," she said.
Jimenez says she could clearly see the driver was having a seizure and went to help him.
"After the seizure, [we] tried to calm him down and then he was in and out of consciousness, I was asking questions but he was out of it," she said.
Dental assistant Roseloin Barodte was checking the patient's dentures when it happened. She says she was so shaken, she had to sit down for a few minutes before she could bring herself to get up and walk out of the room.
"Then I cried and cried, you know, I couldn't believe what happened, it's Christmas and I thought about my family," she said.
Firefighters say the driver could not tell them what happened.
"Initial contact with the driver indicated an altered mental status and was asking questions related to the injury," San Jose Fire Department Capt. Chuck Rangel said. "He did not have any recollection of what happened prior, during or after the accident."
The driver and the dental patient were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
