British Mayor Terry Buckle crashed his car into a Tesco Express grocery store on Wednesday, just five days after he started his term in office.
To add insult to injury, Buckle is a former bus driving instructor.
Buckle, 73, was running errands in St. Edmundsbury- the Suffolk town where he governs-when he rammed into a storefront. His car was parked in a disabled spot right in front of the shop, when it jerked forward, crashing right through the open doors.
The damage at the scene was minimal: Buckle's automobile's side mirrors were damaged, and the doors and security equipment near the entrance also wrecked.
According to the Huffington Post, Buckle sustained shoulder injuries and whiplash, but by far his most damaged part was his deeply bruised pride.
"I know people might think it is a bit of a joke that I have become mayor and the first thing I have done is wreck my car, but I cannot see the funny side of it," he said to the Mirror. "The thought that the car could have hit someone left me really shaken up. I am just so thankful that nobody was in the doorway when the car went through."
Councilperson Frank Warby tried to bring levity to the situation, telling the BBC that it was all just a "slight mishap."
"They are automatic doors, so they opened as he approached," Warby said to the BBC.
Despite not harming any people, not even breaking glass at the Tesco Express, merely hurting his neck, shoulder and ego, Buckle said he is so shaken by the event that he won't get behind the wheel for the foreseeable future.
