Girl injured when car drives into mall

A 14-year-old girl was hospitalized today after a woman drove her car through the front door of the TJ Maxx store at the Factoria Mall.

The driver, a 37-year-old woman from Bellevue, is under investigation for DUI. Police believe prescription drugs might have been a contributing factor in the crash, Bellevue police Cpl. Marcia Harnden said.

The crash happened at about 5 p.m. on the west side of the mall. The driver apparently accelerated into a parking space in front of the store in order to get there before another vehicle, but didn't stop in the space and continued through the front doors, coming to rest about 20 yards inside the store, Harnden said.

The 14-year-old girl suffered a head laceration and was taken to a hospital as a precaution. Other shoppers had bumps and bruises, but weren't hospitalized. The driver and a passenger, her sister, had minor injuries.

"It doesn't look like the injuries are amounting to what would be a vehicular-assault charge," Harnden said. "Believe me, it could have been a lot worse."

Police were expected to take a blood sample from the driver to be used for toxicology tests, Harnden said.